Tall, Blonde, and Broody
by Froggie Lover
Summary: Ninja Storm's resident broody guy receives a visitor from his past...And it opens the door to a whole new world of trouble.
1. The Storm

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Guess who's back in town? LOL. Yes, it's me, Froggie Lover, and I'm back with a new buttload of stories for you people to read! Plus, a few new chapters of the ones I've already put up! Great, huh? grins Anyway, thanks to some cool new muses, freaky dreams, and about half the season of Ninja Storm on tape, I've managed to come up with new stories and posters _without_ any connection to the internet world besides occassional visits to my cousin's computer! Cool, right? Besides that, I would like to comment that I had no prior idea Hunter & Blake's last names were not Trejo. (I learned this not too long ago after a much-needed visit to Power Ranger Central.) So, since it is highly noticeable, I ask that you please excuse that minor error. Well, actually, it's not minor, but hey...Also, when I wrote this story, I had not seen the last parts of "Return of Thunder" so I had absolutely no clue as to how Hunter and Blake became Thunder Rangers, so that's wrong as well. Let's just say that this story is a, uh, different theory as to what happened in that case. hears muses chuckling in the background; looks at them What? Hey, you come up with something better! Good for nothing muses...It's not like _they_ ever help me any...slowly turns back to reader Heh heh. Well, onto the disclaimer! (July 2004)

Disclaimer: I do not own a single character in this story except for three. Those would be Alexandra Jung, Nikko, and King Kutar of Chronite (he shows up later in the story.) Kutar is the older of the three characters, and has shown up in unpublished parts of my huge crossover story, Hidden History, and an unpublished Backstreet sci-fi fic. This is technically his official debut into my PR universe, so when you see him, celebrate! Or don't 'cause he plays an evil guy. shrugs Ah well. Read on, explorers!

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter One: _"The Storm"_

Hunter Trejo fell back into a defensive stance after finishing his kata. His blonde hair stuck to his forehead with sweat from his workout. He walked over to a corner of the training room and grabbed a towel from his gym bag. He wiped away the sweat the covered his face and took a look around the room.

Hunter's adopted brother, Blake, was sparring with Shane Clarke on the mats. Tori Hanson and Dustin Brooks were practicing moves in another corner. Cameron Watanabe--more often called Cam--was practicing a kata as Hunter had been.

He shook his head and wiped down his toned arms and chest, which seemed to be doused in sweat. He threw on a burgundy shirt and headed out of the training room.

"Yo, Hunter, wait up!" called Shane's voice.

Hunter turned around to see Blake and Shane catching up with him. "What's up, guys?" he asked after they got closer.

"We're gonna go to the skate park later, wanna come? There's this huge competition going on, and Shane here thinks he can win it," Blake said.

Behind the calm facade, Hunter mentally rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly into group outings, and this would certainly turn out to be a big one. "Nah. I think I'm going to go down to the track or something. I'm kind of wiped."

"Oh, come on, dude. It'll be fun," Shane pleaded. "Besides, skater chics are hot, and there's going to be tons of them there."

"Is that all you guys think about?" Tori called from across the room. "Skating, motocross, and girls?"

Blake grinned. "Hey, we think about kicking Lothor's butt too, ya know."

Tori rolled her eyes and continued running through moves with Dustin.

Shane turned back to Hunter. "So, are you in or what, man?"

"I think I'm gonna sit this one out," Hunter said. "I'm not really in the mood for loud, screaming skaters. Even if there are going to be hot chics there."

"All right, suit yourself, dude," Shane replied, walking back over to the training mats. Blake quickly followed him and they began sparring again.

Hunter sighed and continued out to the main room of Ninja Ops. He saw Sensei, who was stuck in the embodiment of a guinea pig, absorbed in a long scroll. He smirked a bit, recalling his first impression of Sensei. The idea that Sensei could have done such a murderous act like killing his adoptive parents was a silly notion now, but at the time it was all Hunter believed in.

He continued through the room and bounded up the curving stairway that led up to the real world. He left Ninja Ops and took the quickest path through the forest outside.

Blake and Hunter's van was parked at the edge of the woods near Shane, Tori, and Dustin's. Hunter left it there for Blake to use later, and walked back to Blue Bay Harbor. The unused plains turned into suburban neighborhoods, which soon became the downtown area of Blue Bay. He walked through the maze of streets to the apartment that he and Blake shared.

Once inside the rather dreary apartment, Hunter set his gym bag down by the dining room table and took a quick shower. After he was done, he went into his room and turned on the stereo; he let the CD player load, not caring what was in the tray. It turned out to be an alternative rock mix that seemed to be in heavy rotation in the player. Hunter shook his head and slipped into a pair of black jeans, then pulled on a gray long-sleeved shirt and put a burgundy tee-shirt with a silver dragon screen print over that.

As an electric guitar rift sounded from the stereo, Hunter sat down on his bed and fell back against the pillows. His mind swam with thoughts, so many that he wasn't sure what to think about and what to ignore. This happened to him quite often, it seemed. Whenever he had the slightest time to think, a million and one thoughts swarmed into his head like buzzing bees on a warm spring day. It was irksome, to say the least. So, he was constantly thinking, not conversing much with his teammates. Most of them called him anti-social or just plain old broody, but he didn't mind nor really heed it. He just kept thinking.

Today, his thoughts were focused on what Shane had said in the training room. Hunter would've gladly gone to the skating competition, had his mind not suddenly become overloaded with thoughts again. The idea of all the "chics" that would be there was quite enticing, but for some reason his mind decided to think instead of do.

He wandered off from the conversation and to the subject of women. Hunter had never actually had a girlfriend or even dated-Lothor had not given he and Blake any time for that. Though, he did fall in love-just once though. He never got the opportunity to tell the girl how he'd felt because he was in Lothor's service. Not only had he been afraid, but he had felt unworthy of her as well. She had seemed perfect in every which way. She was the only person at the Thunder Ninja Academy to ever beat Hunter in a match in their class.

For the first time in a while, Hunter shut off his thoughts. He didn't want to think of the way the situation had ended. It hurt still even to think about it. He sighed and stood up from the bed. He felt his arm twinge as it always had since his last day at the Thunder Ninja Academy. Silently he pulled on a pair of shoes and left the apartment.

Clouds were gathering in the sky, making only four o'clock seem like six. The wind was blowing slightly, but not enough to change the humidity or heat. They were short gusts of wind that barely moved the leaves on the trees. The street was relatively empty, with a few people walking down it here and there, each on their own way with their own business. Hunter walked towards the Sports Strip, a popular street in the center of Blue Bay for the sport fanatics that lived there. The streets became crowded but still nowhere near a pedestrian traffic jam.

When he reached the Sports Strip, he headed towards Storm Chargers Bike Shop, which was on the opposite end of the street from the Skate Park. He went into Storm Chargers and saw that Kelly, the owner of the shop, was bustling about the main room, fixing things up and straightening posters and displays.

She looked up and smiled. "Hey Hunter," she said. "Why aren't you at the skating competition with Shane and them? That's where Dustin is, if you're wondering. I gave him the rest of the day off."

"Actually, I wasn't wondering, but it's good to know," Hunter said while sitting down on a couch in the corner.

Kelly sat down on another couch and took a good look around the shop. "So, why are you here then? Asking for a job?"

Hunter laughed. "No. I was actually wondering if you had a spare bike that I could use temporarily. Blake has the van, and I don't feel like attempting the fray of screaming and cheering skaters right now."

"Oh, okay. You think you can sponge off of me just because you're a good rider," Kelly laughed. "But, really, yeah I have a couple spare bikes. They're probably not up to your high standards, oh Mighty One."

He shook his head. "Trust me, it doesn't matter. As long as it runs and won't die on me mid-track, I'm okay with it."

Kelly nodded. "All right. You can use the backup van to take it down to the track. And, please, please return it all in at least okay condition."

"Hey, I'm careful. I don't total bikes, unlike a certain employee of yours," Hunter said. He got up and followed Kelly into the storage room.

There were two spare bikes. One was a little older and kind of ratty, but the other was a little unstable at the helm, so Hunter picked the older one. As it turned out, it ran better anyway. He took the bike out to the spare van at the back of Storm Chargers, quickly thanked Kelly, and drove off to the motocross track.

The drive didn't take long, but the van was kind of rickety. Hunter felt thankful just to get to the track without the poor vehicle blowing up with him in it. He pulled the bike out and leaned it against the van. There was a spare gear set in a gym bag in the bag, and it seemed all right to use, so Hunter put it on and headed out onto the track.

He got some bad looks from some of the guys out there, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was ride. So, after about an hour of riding, countless runs around the track, and one almost-wreck, Hunter stopped and loaded the bike back in the van.

After taking off his helmet, Hunter noticed the temperature had dropped dramatically. The wind was almost fierce and had a terrible chill. He shivered for the first time since leaving the service of Lothor.

"Strange," he muttered. "It almost never gets cold in Blue Bay Harbor."

Dark clouds were gathering the sky. They were huge, low clouds. Ominous might be the better word. Hunter shook his head and put the gear back in the van, then drove back to Storm Chargers. Wordlessly, he gave the bike back to Kelly, and then walked home.

Blake still wasn't home when Hunter opened the door. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. For the next two hours or so he watched ESPN until his brother returned.

When Blake finally came back Tori was with him.

"Hey Hunter, have fun at the track?" Blake asked.

Hunter shrugged. "I guess. There's something very strange going on with the weather, though. Have you noticed it?"

"Yeah, you know what, I have," Tori said. "It suddenly got very cold, and those clouds don't look friendly."

Blake nodded. "You can tell they're not rain clouds, though. They're too low to the ground for that. Plus, rain clouds don't get that dark I don't think."

"All right…cold wind and dark clouds," Hunter concluded. "So, to me that sounds like snow. But snow in Blue Bay Harbor? That's not very possible."

Tori frowned. "It happened when Choobo created that island, remember? Blue Bay Harbor was freezing and had snow while we were on the island."

"That was different," Blake said. "Now, there's no sign of a monster, Lothor, or one of his goons. How are we to know that it's him?"

"Who else could it be?" Hunter replied. "It rarely snows in California. Besides, who else could use a snowstorm to their advantage like you know Lothor could?"

A grimace crossed Blake's face. "You're right, actually. We should ask Sensei about it."

"My thoughts exactly."

Hunter stood up and walked over to them. In a flash of crimson, navy, and blue light, the three disappeared from the apartment.

* * *

Dustin and Shane were already at Ninja Ops when in teleported Hunter, Blake, and Tori. Cam was at the computer hard at work. 

"I take it you guys noticed the weird weather too," Hunter said, sitting down at the table in the center of the room.

Shane was pacing the width of the room. "Yeah. It's a wonder why you guys didn't get here sooner. You should've noticed it as you were leaving the Skate Park. Or track, as the case may be."

"Blake has to make a debate of everything," Tori laughed.

Even though Shane had asked the question, he took no heed of the answer. He continued pacing, muttering to himself and continually glancing at Cam.

Cam seemed under no pressure as he typed away at the computer. Hunter had always been amazed at how he could work under such conditions. Before Cam had become the Green Samurai Ranger, the other Rangers had incessantly demanded things of him during battle. Now, of course, Sensei was the one that got to push the big red button, even in his guinea pig form.

Dustin laughed. "Shane, dude, chill out. Everything's going to be okay once Cam finishes his computer work and finds out what Lothor's gone and done this time." He turned to Hunter. "So, Broody Guy, have you thought about our current situation, or do you just act like you're thinking so you don't have to listen to us?"

Hunter sighed, rolling his eyes. Dustin's statement was a perfect example of the misunderstanding that passed between the teammates. "I've been thinking about our current situation since I felt the wind chill after I was finishing up at the track. And, no, I don't use the thinking look as an excuse to tune you out."

Cam turned around in his chair, strangely smiling as if he had a joke on the tip of his tongue. Of course, he usually did. "But you'd like to if you could. Shane can be obnoxious at times. Dustin's even worse."

"Not to mention Blake," Hunter laughed. "He's more annoying than either of the two. Well, him put with Tori, that is."

Shane stopped pacing to smile. "Oh yeah. Tori and Blake, together, are way more annoying than either me or Dustin."

"Hey!" Tori exclaimed. She picked up a blue throw pillow and tossed it at Shane. She picked up a yellow one and threw it at Hunter. "I resent that!"

Blake threw a red pillow at his brother. "So do I!"

Sensei, who stood by the computer watching the fray, smiled. "All right, let's not get into a pillow fight. But, I can tell you that Blake's annoying as a lovesick puppy. Remember, I had to go to the movies with him."

Blake and Tori's faces turned a shade of red deeper than Hunter's shirt, as the others laughed mercilessly around them.

Suddenly, a loud beep sounded from Cam's computer. Sensei's face scrunched with worry as he read the screen. Cam immediately began typing furiously on the keyboard. The rest of the room was dead silent. The only sound in Ninja Ops was Cam's fingers hitting the keys.

After a long silence, Cam slowly turned back around. He rubbed his temples and glanced at each of his friends. "This isn't good."

"What isn't good? What's going on?" Shane asked anxiously.

Hunter frowned. He didn't like the sound of Cam's voice. It wasn't the kind of voice where he would find something bad, but know a way to fix it. It was the tone where something was really bad, but there was no immediate solution.

"We have Minnesota in Blue Bay Harbor in under three hours," Cam said flatly. He sighed and continued rubbing his temples to keep from going insane.

Dustin raised an eyebrow. "Minnesota, really? Are you sure? 'Cause, you know, it could be, like, Alaska-type stuff, dude."

Cam was quick to glare at Dustin. The latter immediately silenced.

"Has it really snowed that much since we left?" Hunter asked. He bit his lip.

"There's roughly a foot of snow on the ground right now, and it's still snowing," Cam replied. He shook his head.

"Damn!" Dustin, Shane, Blake, and Hunter exclaimed at once.

Sensei looked surprised to hear them all curse, especially at the same time. But, then again, the action was believable.

Tori shook her head. "The only question is what this leads back to. Who did this? Or what, even?"

"Can't say there's an easy answer to that, Tor," Cam said. "The only thing I can say about the source of the snow is that there's a bunch of heavy clouds hanging over the entire city, but no where else in the nearby area. It's weird."

Shane continued pacing. His mind was jumping into three million different directions, his thoughts going this way and that. It was hard to think. "Do you think…" he started, unsure of really what to say. "Do you think that Lothor might have anything do with this? I mean, I know, we're always quick to blame him, but who else is there?"

"Lothor's the only one who actually cares about our existence, so it's reasonable to believe that he's behind this," Cam replied. "And unless my father's got any more enemies up his sleeve, I don't think Lothor would or could do this."

Sensei quietly laughed. "Any other enemies I would've told you about already, Cameron. Besides, this could fit into Lothor's Master Plan. If, indeed, he had the ability to do such a thing."

Cam sighed. "I'll keep working to find the source of this thing, in the meantime, you guys should go home and see if you don't get stuck in the snow."

The other Rangers nodded and teleported out of Ninja Ops.

* * *

Later that day, Hunter was walking as best he could through Blue Bay Park. His sneakers were soaked which then caused his socks to be drenched, but still on he trekked. All he wore to keep himself warm was a black fleece pullover with burgundy trim. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do with what he had. No Southern Californian was really prepared for snow. Especially if they had lived their entire lives in the state. 

Regardless if he was prepared for it or not, Hunter continued walking through the snow. He needed time to think, and being around his friends always clouded the thought process, even during dead silence.

In the quiet calm of the park, Hunter's senses were sharpened. All he heard was the quiet crunch of snow beneath his sneakers and soft howl of wind whenever it picked up speed. Snow covered the trees around him, creating a large white blanket over the entire area. The only thing he felt was the cold tinge of melted snow on his feet and the glacial air around him.

He sat down on a bench, giving his tired feet a moment's rest. After clearing some of the snow off of it, he was more or less comfortable.

Suddenly, in the distance, he heard the sound of softly crunching snow. Footsteps! Something, or someone, was there with him. Or worse yet, following him. Hunter reached for his Thunder Morpher, prepared to fight for his life.

"Is that you, Trejo?" an icy voice asked. "It has to be. Only you'd be crazy enough to be out here during a snowstorm."

Hunter froze. He knew that voice. He hadn't heard it in years on end…No; it was impossible. He must've been imagining things. He had to be.

The footsteps came closer. "Oh yeah, definitely you, Trejo. Only you would be sitting out here in nothing but a pullover. I guess it must've been pretty cold on Lothor's ship, huh?" the voice said.

Slowly, he turned to see the face he almost dreaded to see. A cold grin was on her lips, and her black hair moved with the wind. "Alexandra," he muttered.

"Ah, you have a better memory than you're given credit for," she laughed. "Of course, I'm not one to be forgotten. You said it so yourself."

Alexandra Jung was the woman who stood in front of Hunter. She was the one who he fell in love with at the Thunder Ninja Academy. All of the memories of his last day at the academy came flooding back to him; all of them were unwelcome. He watched her for a long moment, not finding any words to say. She was an Asian woman, standing about five three, with a perfect complexion and midnight eyes. Her lips were full, and they always held a cold smile, never betraying any real emotion. She was so much like him, yet so different. She was unreachable by any mortal means, set apart from the rest of humanity. That's part of the reason that Hunter fell so hard for her.

"So, I see you've still got that staring problem," Alexandra said, waking Hunter from his reverie. She sat down next to him on the bench. "It figures you'd be out here, even in the snow. Thinking again, huh?"

Hunter nodded. He couldn't find any words to say. Seeing her was shock enough. Speaking to her would've killed him.

Alexandra laughed. "Oh come on, Trejo. I know you haven't lost your voice. Say something so I know that you're not dead from the cold."

He stumbled on the right words to say. Without thinking, he blurted out, "What are you doing here? Working for Lothor? 'Cause it's kind of funny that you show up not long after this whole crazy weather thing starts."

She sent a glare in his direction, then returned her gaze to the sky. "Well, when you talk, you say only what's important, eh Trejo?" She smiled ? a real smile ? slightly. "First off, I've been in Blue Bay Harbor for a while now, you've just been too busy to notice me. I've seen you on the Sports Strip, hanging out with Blake and some other kids. Second, there's no way in hell I would ever work for Lothor. I saw what it did to you two nutcases. I don't want to even begin to imagine what would happen to me if I worked for him."

Hunter felt a blush rise to his cheeks. The heat was a dire contrast with the bitter cold. "You'd think I would've noticed you in town by now."

"Eh, it's okay. You know me, Trejo. I like to stay away from the crowds," she replied, giving him a gentle nudge in the shoulder.

He involuntarily winced. A small wave of pain went from his shoulder to his upper arm, where the muscle was still tender, even after at least three years had passed. He didn't say anything about it. He wasn't sure what she would think. "So, what made you come to Blue Bay? There's not really anything interesting here."

Alexandra looked back at him, her grin in place. "Oh yes, there is."

Hunter looked confused. "What?"

"You." She grabbed both sides of his face and pulled his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. It sent a fire through his body despite the harsh chill. He whimpered slightly when she pulled away, letting go of him. Even though her touch was gone, the fire still coursed through his veins. He licked his lips, savoring the remnants of the kiss.

Alexandra stood up; the grin was replaced with another genuine smile. "See ya round, Trejo." And then, as quickly as she came, she was gone.

Hunter shook his head. None of it made sense. Then again, his life rarely made sense. He got up and started the long trek home.

* * *

Blake looked up from the TV as the door to the apartment opened. Tori shifted slightly in his arms, but didn't acknowledge the sound. 

Hunter walked into the apartment. His clothes were soaked to the bone, but he didn't show any signs of being cold. His face was blank and paler than usual. Blake frowned. This wasn't good.

"Hey Hunter. What happened to you?" he asked.

His brother looked up, but didn't seem to recognize him. "I saw her," he said simply. He leaned against a wall and tried to control his breathing. Tears threatened to fall from his ice blue eyes, but he fought them as best he could.

Tori turned off the TV, and noticed Hunter. "Whoa, what car ran you over?"

"Not a car, a person," Blake muttered. "Alexandra."

"Who's she?" Tori asked. She sat up and glanced between Hunter and Blake.

Hunter looked at his brother's girlfriend. "That's a good question. You'd think that I would know the answer. But, ya know what, I don't. I guess I used to, but certainly not anymore. Oh no, not me, not Hunter Trejo, the brooding one of the group. Ask someone else."

Blake looked surprised. "I can't believe you saw her, dude. Are you sure that it wasn't a dream or something? You're prone to that, you know."

"If it was a dream, I wouldn't have come in the front door," Hunter said. He sighed, starting towards his room. He moved with great lethargy, almost as if he wanted to be somewhere else.

As he walked away, Tori looked at Blake. "Who is this Alexandra chic?"

Blake didn't seem happy to hear her name. "She was this girl that Hunter sort of fell in love with at the academy. He ended up getting his ass kicked for so much as trying to tell her how he felt, but I think he still loves her."

Tori grinned. "Hunter in love? Wow. There's something I'd pay money to see."

"Get your bills ready, 'cause you might see it soon."


	2. All the More Broody

Author's Note: HA! Guess what?! I made it to the second chapter! Whoo-hoo! [does a weird dance] Ahem. Anyway, this chapter is the _official_ PR debut of King Kutar of Chronite! Everyone, give him a warm welcome! [crickets can be heard chirping in the background] Okay, okay, I get it. You only cheer on the heroes...Have fun, guys. I happen to be very proud of this chapter, and I hope you guys like it too.

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_ for the disclaimer fun! Heh, it rhymes, see? Heh heh. [stares] Nevermind.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Two: _"All the More Broody"_

"He's been doing this all week," Cam muttered. He looked at Sensei. "Father, can't you make him just go home? I've got work to do, and he's a distraction."

Sensei smiled. "It is good to see that Hunter is enthusiastic about his training. Let him continue, Cameron."

Across the room, Hunter was running through yet another kata. His mind was somewhere else, but at least he was doing something other than sitting around. For almost two weeks, he had been practically hiding out in Ninja Ops, never walking above ground. The only time he left was by teleporting to and from his apartment. If nothing else, he was avoiding another chance meeting with Alexandra.

The other Rangers had their concerns, but for the most part didn't bother him. Training a lot wasn't a bad thing, though it was starting to get the point where it wasn't good, either.

As Hunter finished his kata, Cam looked over, a frown across his face. Hunter started into another routine. Cam sighed and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Hunter and grabbed his arm to stop him from continuing.

"Go home, Hunter," he said. "You need to do something other than train. Be normal, if just for this once. I need to keep my sanity."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "What does your sanity have to do with my training?"

Cam again sighed. "Think about it. I can't concentrate with you training. And when I can't concentrate, I lose my sanity. So, yes, go home and do something other than train. Sit down and think a while; that's what you normally do."

"Fine, I'll go home. But don't expect me to do anything else," Hunter said, gathering his stuff and wiping down his face.

"That's all I'm asking." Cam sat back down at the computer and went back to work. He didn't even notice it when Hunter teleported out of Ninja Ops.

* * *

Hunter landed inside the living room of the apartment. He put his gym bag down on he floor and sat down on the couch. Blake was out, probably at the track running some laps or at the Skate Park watching Shane fall on his ass. Hunter sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for hiding out like a witless coward. He just…couldn't face Alexandra. It took his mind a long time to even register the fact that he had even seen her that day.

"You're an idiot," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the front door opened and Blake came inside. He was wearing a big navy blue coat over his clothes. The two had broken down and gotten themselves coats so they wouldn't die of pneumonia. It was a result of the snowstorm that wouldn't let up.

"The track is awesome with all that snow, bro," Blake said, grinning. "You should've been there. I raced Dustin, and my bike slid on one of the tight turns, and I totally wiped out." He sat down next to Hunter. "Needless to say Dustin beat me in that one."

Hunter laughed as best he could. "That sounds great, man. I'm just sorry that I missed all the fun. It's just--"

"Yeah, you were training," Blake muttered. "I think I know the real reason why you've been training so hard lately. You're avoiding her."

"What?" Hunter stared at him. It was the truth, but he wasn't about to admit to it.

Blake sighed. "You're avoiding Alexandra. That's why you've been training so hard. You're making sure that there's absolutely no chance that you'll see her."

Hunter started to object, but shut his mouth just as quickly. He let Blake win this one.

"See!" Blake shook his head, laughing just slightly. "Man, you know what I think? I think you should just get up and go find her. Talk to her, dude. You know that you've been dying to find out what she thought about what happened that day. Besides, you seriously cannot deny the fact that you actually _wanted_ to see her again."

"Maybe just to have some answers, but that's it." Hunter looked away.

Blake rolled his eyes. "You're lying." He paused, and then a big grin lit up his face. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

Hunter quickly looked back, shock engraved into his handsome features. "What…are you nuts, Blake? Me still in love with her? After all the crap I went through just to try and tell her that I…No, man, not likely."

"Is that so? 'Cause I say, just from that reaction alone, that you're still in love with her, you're just afraid of admitting it."

"And with good reason."

"Ah ha!"

"Damn it."

Blake was grinning victoriously. "Now, here's what you do, Hunter. You go find Alexandra, you tell her what happened that day, you tell her how you feel, and then you walk away and leave it on her conscience."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Blake shrugged. "Dramatic effect."

"Right."

* * *

Hunter remembered the quiet of Blue Bay Park. He liked the silence, but today it was eerie. He was bundled up in a burgundy ski jacket; while not quite stylish, it was warm. He wore two layers of black sweatpants and a pair of baggy jeans over that, and big, heavy boots that gave away his presence with each step. He wasn't used to wearing that much clothing at one time, but it kept him from getting frostbitten or contracting a bad case of pneumonia, like Dustin almost had.

"Looking for me, Trejo?"

He turned to see Alexandra. She was dressed warmly, but she wasn't a mass of layers and bulk like Hunter. She always seemed to be different from everyone else. "Am I that easy to read?" he replied.

Alexandra nodded. "Seemingly. Come on, Hunter, let's find a place to sit down."

Hunter agreed and started following her. He was a bit surprised. She had never actually used his first name before when speaking to him. He half-smiled at the thought. He liked the way it sounded coming from her lips, the same lips that had kissed him almost two weeks ago.

They ended up at the same bench that they had met at before. _It's a sign_, Hunter thought. Resting their feet on the seat, Alexandra sat awfully close to him. He didn't really mind the closeness, though.

"So, why'd you come out here in the freezing cold to talk to me about? Certainly not to inquire about the weather or try to show me around Blue Bay Harbor," Alexandra said after a long moment of silence.

Hunter shook his head. "You never were one for small talk, AJ." He took in a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you about that last day at the academy. You know, that day that you're domineering boyfriend decided to kick my ass."

Alexandra was silent.

He sighed. "See, on that day, I was going to tell you something that had taken me almost our entire time at the academy to figure out." He looked square at her. Not even the beauty of the snowy park could distract him from his purpose. "I had fallen in love with you. It took me that long to realize that I was…am in love with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say that, at the academy, you ended up being in love with me, and three years of time apart and getting beat up by my ex hasn't changed that?"

"That's more or less the case."

Slowly, Alexandra reached a hand out to gingerly touch his arm. She was dimly aware of the tiny electric shocks being sent through her arm and into her whole body from the simple touch. Then, she remembered the face that had given Hunter the scar that she knew lie under the layers of clothing. _No honorable ninja should ever sink that low._ "Hunter…" she started, unsure of what to say to him. What could she say?

Hunter held up a hand. "Don't, Alex. You have no obligations towards me. I don't want to hold you anywhere you don't want to be. That would hurt worse than getting stabbed."

Alexandra shook her head. Damn it, he was closing up again. She hated when he did that! He'd done it at the academy too. Whenever they would get into a nice conversation, if it got too deep or emotional for his tastes, he always either changed the subject or pulled away and closed himself in a little protective shell that no one could break. Today, "no one" excluded Alexandra Jung. She was determined to make him talk for once.

"Trejo, don't you dare interrupt me," she said. "And, if you hadn't been so rude, I would've told you that I was never proud of or smiled at what Nikko did. No ninja, samurai, or any type of warrior should ever sink that low. I was actually hurt when I saw some of the healers carrying you off to the main building. I had known even then that Nikko was behind it; he never did like you." She laughed a little, then sobered again. "I broke up with him that night. There was no way in all hell that I could be with someone who had just intentionally and maliciously stabbed one of my best friends. That would've been a violation of human protocol."

Hunter was amazed, but silent.

She smiled. She knew that he was fazed by what she said, even if he refused to show recognition. She reached up and softly traced his cheekbone with her thumb. Gazing deeply into his eyes, she continued to trace his jawline and lips. Hunter showed no sign of resistance. He sighed contentedly. This was comfortable.

He gently took her hand in his, holding it and slowly pulling her closer. Some outside force controlled his actions. Without warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist and covered her lips with his. Fire and electricity coursed through his veins like blood. Heat rushed from his head to his toes.

The kiss went on for an eternity it seemed. Neither wanted it to end, but they had to breathe. For a long time they just sat there, staring intently into each other's eyes.

Hunter's communicator beeped from underneath his coat. He muttered a curse underneath his breath and gave Alexandra an apologetic look.

"You're still a Ranger?" she asked.

"Yeah, only I'm working against Lothor now." Hunter sighed and held her close. "I really don't want to answer it."

She lightly nudged him. "Go. We'll meet here later. Kicking Lothor's ass is a little more important than me."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is. Now go."

"Fine."

Hunter stood up reluctantly. He pulled back his many layers of clothing to reveal his morpher. He softly kissed Alexandra again before teleporting to Ninja Ops.

* * *

Everyone looked up as Hunter appeared in Ninja Ops. Shane, who stood in front of him, arms crossed and a foot tapping on the floor, greeted him.

"We've been trying to get you here for the past ten minutes, and now you decide to show up?" Shane asked.

Hunter looked around the room, trying to think of an answer, even though he knew it was a rhetorical question. Only Blake looked sympathetic. "I--"

"You're late! That's what you are!" Shane screamed. He paused and seemingly calmed down. "Oh my God…I'm acting like my dad."

Dustin couldn't contain his laughter. Shane turned, once more royally pissed.

"So, why are you late?" Cam asked from his seat at the computer.

Hunter shrugged and took a seat at the table. "I was out at the park, trying to avoid you guys because I knew that it'd be loud if I ran into any of you."

Blake coughed.

Cam looked at Blake. "He's lying isn't he?"

The younger Trejo nodded. Tori grinned. Hunter was tempted to smack the grin off her face and punch Blake precisely in the nose. Dustin laughed. Shane was still confused. Sensei just watched with curiosity.

"The thinking excuse is bull," Blake said. "He was out with a girl, if he listened to my advice, which I hope he did."

"I did," Hunter muttered.

Disbelieving gazes affixed themselves to Hunter.

"A girl?" Dustin asked.

"What girl? Who, even?" Shane wondered.

Hunter glared at Blake. The latter just shrugged and motioned for Hunter to answer the questions set before him. "They await you, oh Brooding One," he seemed to say.

"Yes, a girl, guys." Hunter shot a glance at Dustin, who gave him a sheepish grin. "And as to who, she's this girl who Blake and I knew back at the Thunder Academy."

Sensei furrowed his eyebrows in disapproval. Having been the headmaster at a Wind Ninja Academy (the Thunder Ninja Academies' rival), he criticized any interaction between the Thunder Rangers and their former classmates. He still thought it unsafe because the other students might be in league with Lothor.

"Are you sure that your friend is trustworthy, Hunter?" Sensei asked. "After all, she was a student at the Thunder Ninja Academy, and may have contact with Lothor. It would be especially dangerous if she knew that you were a Ranger."

Hunter winced. He had forgotten that the academies were still enemies, even if he and Blake were on good terms with Dustin, Shane, and Tori. "She wouldn't work for Lothor," he assured. "Alexandra isn't dumb enough to get herself caught in something like that. If anything, she's on our side." He smiled as remembered Alexandra's words to make him go to Ninja Ops.

"Sensei, Alexandra practically hates Lothor. The only reason she might not is because she doesn't believe in hating anyone, unless they really got on her bad side," Blake explained. "I didn't know her that well at the academy, but I know that that's how she'd feel."

The unnatural guinea pig was unconvinced. "I still feel that it would not safe to have any further contact with her." He looked at Hunter. "You must tell this girl that you can no longer see her, Hunter. I am sorry, but it's for safety."

Hunter's heart sank. He had just found her again, and already they were facing obstacles. He tried to explain to Sensei that Alexandra wouldn't do something like work for Lothor, but the guinea pig wasn't hearing it.

Blake set a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, but nothing could ease the pain. It was plain and simple: Hunter was going to lose the woman he loved…twice.

* * *

Alexandra paced. She was waiting for Hunter with growing impatience. What the hell could be so important that he'd stay there that long? Surely it wasn't about a monster or the weather. It was easy to see the answer on either of those.

"Why, if it isn't one of the academy brats," a deep, sinister voice said from behind her.

The Asian woman turned surprised. She recognized the visitor as one of Lothor's lackeys: General Zurgane. Rolling her eyes, she answered, "And what do you want?"

Zurgane laughed. "Funny you should ask."

All she saw was a black, metal fist flying at her.

A couple Kelzacks appeared to get Alexandra's limp body. One of them was admiring the onyx and silver amulet she wore. Zurgane ripped it off from her neck and dropped it in the snow. It worked as well as a ransom note. In a flash, they disappeared from the scene.

* * *

With reluctance, Hunter left Ninja Ops. The crimson sparks of the teleportation slowly faded from his body ominously. He wasn't going to like this, not at all. He looked around, only to find that Alexandra wasn't there. His eyes could see far from his vantagepoint, and she still was nowhere to be found. Confused, he sat down at the bench. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glitter of silver in the snow.

He got up and investigated. Kneeling down, he picked up the onyx and silver amulet that hung on a beautiful decorative silver chain. Inscribed in the onyx were the Japanese characters meaning life, eternity, and love. On the back, etched in silver, were three more symbols in the same language for peace, beauty, and prosperity.

Hunter knew this necklace. It represented the blessings that had been given to the Jung family centuries ago. He cursed. It was the same one that Alexandra had worn every day that he knew her. Why would it be on the ground? The answer hit him with such a force that he fell to his knees. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, freezing in the frigid air. He pressed the necklace to his chest, to his heart. The pain of realization rocked him.

Lothor had her. The son-of-a-bitch had the one of the few people that Hunter had allowed himself to grow close to. Justice _would_ be served this time, without a doubt.

* * *

Cam frowned as the computer let out a beep. He began furiously typing only to find his frown deepening. He muttered a few curses in Mandarin and turned to the other Rangers. "Well, break time's over. Zurgane just made an appearance on Earth then ran off. With what, I can't tell you. Ten bucks says it's a human life form."

"Where?" Shane asked, jumping up. He had a bad feeling.

"The park," Cam was quick to reply. Then it hit him. "Hunter!"

Blake was already gone. He arrived at the park to see a small shape in the distance. He ran to the spot and discovered that it was Hunter, on his knees in the snow. Blake wasn't sure what to do. He had never seen his brother like this.

"Hunter?" he asked cautiously.

He didn't look up. "They have her."

Blake didn't need an explanation. He set a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Come on, bro. Let's head back to Ninja Ops and get together a plan. We'll get her back."

It took a great amount of effort for Hunter to get up. With the necklace clutched in his hand, they teleported back to Ninja Ops.

* * *

The other Rangers were relieved to see the streaks of navy and crimson appear in Ninja Ops. Their relief was then replaced with worry as they saw Hunter after the crimson had faded. Dried tears stained his cheeks, and his blue eyes were unusually sad.

"Well, at least we know that Zurgane didn't take you, Hunter, since you're here," Cam said with a slight laugh.

"Yeah," Hunter muttered. It was all he could do to sit down at the table and resist the urge to burst into another fit of tears. "If Lothor wanted to hit us from the inside so bad, he should've just taken one of us."

Sensei was surprised. "What happened, Hunter?"

Hunter looked up as if he didn't hear Sensei. His eyes shone with unshed tears. He wouldn't break down in front of his friends. So many times he had been the strong one, so many times he had been the one to push someone on. He wasn't going to be the one who needed the words of encouragement. "Zurgane kidnapped Alexandra." The words stung.

"Who's this Alexandra chick anyway?" Dustin asked. "I think I missed that part of the conversation, 'cause I'm totally lost."

The blonde babe was quick to glare at Dustin. Then, he looked at Blake, asking him to answer Dustin's question. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to think more about Alexandra than he had to.

Blake got the message. "You did miss it, D," he said to Dustin. "Alexandra was the girl that Hunter and I were friends with back at the Thunder Academy. And Hunter met her again a couple weeks ago, and I think they ended up being a little more than friends."

"Oh."

Shane held up his hands. "Whoa, wait a minute. So, you're saying that Lothor captured this chick, right?"

Hunter glumly nodded.

"Hmm…" Shane paced the width of the room. "And he probably did it because he knew that she was an in to the team -- a weakness."

"That sounds like Lothor," Blake said. "He'd use whatever means he could to get to his enemies. The more it hurts them, the better."

Sensei nodded. "Indeed. I just never knew that he'd use love against someone. Even Lothor has a heart, no matter how small it may be."

"He may have a heart, but he doesn't have any honor," Hunter said. Never once did he take his eyes off the table. He didn't want anyone to see the tears that he knew shone in his eyes.

"I'll remember that," Sensei replied. He looked at Hunter. He felt guilt and sympathy at the same time. Regardless, neither feeling would change the situation. Neither would anger.

"What are we going to do?" Tori asked. "We can't just sit here and wait for an answer from Lothor. We don't even know what he might do to her, especially since she's Hunter's girlfriend."

Hunter narrowed his eyes at the table. His mind was trying to think of something else, trying to stray from the subject of just _what_ Lothor might do to Alexandra. It hurt to even think that she was in his ugly clutches, her life hanging in the balance, only living because of his decisions, depending on such an evil. It hurt and sickened at the same time. Hunter clutched his stomach and swallowed down the bile rising in his throat.

Cam stood up from the computer, seeing Hunter's discomfort. "All right, everyone just go home. Let's just sleep on this, and hope one of us comes up with an intelligent idea."

Everyone but Hunter nodded.

* * *

Lothor stood up from his throne as Zurgane entered. "So, I take it you were successful in retrieving her? Because if you weren't--"

"It is no worry, Lothor," Zurgane said. "We have the girl."

"Ah, good. Bring her in."

The black and gold robot made a motion to the Kelzacks behind him. They entered the room, laboring to keep Alexandra within their grasps. Lothor grinned. He remembered her from the Thunder Ninja Academy without a doubt.

"Well, I see you've decided to join my side now, Miss Jung," he said.

Alexandra struggled against the Kelzacks, only to be held back by one holding a long, red blade against her throat. It was a warning. "I am not on your side, Lothor. Nor will I ever be. I've seen what you do to people."

Lothor laughed. "You're just a little biased, then, to those Thunder Rangers. Hunter in particular, one might guess."

She froze. "So that's what this is about? Getting revenge?"

"Revenge is such a…strong word. What I want to accomplish is so much more than that. Those two betrayed me. I could've beaten those pesky Wind Rangers if Blake and Hunter hadn't joined their side. And do you know what made them choose good over evil?"

The question was rhetorical.

"Love. Those idiots went over to the good side because of love. Blake just had to fall for that stupid Blue Ranger…So, now, I'm using that same force which they used to betray me, against them. Hence why you're here, Alexandra is it?"

She growled a yes.

Two women entered the room. They couldn't have been any older than Alexandra was, though they held the air of three-year-olds. They were bickering over something.

"Uncle, how come we can't send a monster to Earth so the Rangers can fight? I'm bored," one of them said. She was shorter with brown hair done in a crazy hairstyle.

Lothor rolled his eyes. "Alexandra, you must excuse my nieces' rudeness." He indicated to the two women. "This is Marah and Kapri."

They waved.

"Who's she?" Kapri asked.

"Just a captive that we're going to use against the Thunder Rangers," Lothor replied, turning back towards Alexandra. "Now--"

"Uncle!" Marah exclaimed. "How come we can't send a monster to Earth?"

Lothor sighed. "Because that's not part of the master plan right now."

Marah and Kapri stomped out of the room. Lothor shook his head and redirected his attention to the prisoner.

"Anyway, do you have any questions?"

Alexandra thought carefully. She came up with the only thing that wouldn't get her killed. "You wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that there's three feet of snow in Blue Bay Harbor, would you?"

Lothor laughed. "I thought you would ask. In fact, I do. A friend of mine cast the spell for me. King Kutar of Chronite is his name. He's quite good, too. I might just make him a general in my armies."

"I work alone, Lothor. You know that," a voice said from one of the corridors.

Alexandra heard quiet footsteps coming into the room, and then she saw the speaker. He was a taller man with blonde hair darkened with age. He held a sinister grin on his lips. She tried to hide her surprise as she almost recognized him…she just couldn't place where.

"Besides, I'm trying to keep up a cover, remember? The Alliance Council would be royally pissed if they found out I was a general in one of your armies," he continued.

"This is true." Lothor nodded. "Kutar, this is Alexandra Jung, a former Thunder Ninja Academy student and a pawn in one of my latest plans."

Kutar smirked. "This is Hunter's lover?"

"Indeed."

The Chronitian nodded with approval. _The Ranger has taste_, he thought. "She's human, correct?"

Lothor shrugged. "I'm guessing."

"Hmm…She looks a little more Eltarian to me."

"Well, all humans are half-Eltarian, my friend."

Kutar agreed. "Whatever the case, I'm sure your plan will work. By the way, what do you plan to do with the Thunder Rangers once you've captured them?"

"Anything I can think of at the moment. It'll be totally random," Lothor replied.

With a slight nod, Kutar gave one more glance at Alexandra and left the room. Alexandra watched him walk away. Even his walk was familiar. If only she could place it.


	3. Repercussions

Author's Note: Hey, guess what? It's Chapter _Three_! You guys really do not know how excited I am that I got here, seriously. Well, in this chapter the plot gets even more juicy... [laughs evilly] But! I am not going to tell you how. You must discover that for yourself. [turns to muses] Did that sound a little Sensei-ish to you guys? Hmm...It did to me. Ah well. [turns back to reader] Anyway, have fun and don't get lost in the confusion! If, indeed, there is any. [smiles nervously]

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Three: _"Repercussions"_

__

"Yo, white boy!" Nikko called from across the courtyard.

Hunter turned to see Alexandra's boyfriend and a few of his followers (for they weren't exactly his friends) standing near the entrance to the training ground. Hunter was making his way off the compound to report to Lothor. "What do you want, Nikko?" he asked, sighing.

The Japanese man sauntered towards Hunter. "Just wanted to wish you well, white boy. Hope Lothor doesn't kill you. And if he does, let's hope it's quick and painless, eh?"

"Whatever." Hunter turned around and started walking again, but Nikko's hand on his shoulder stopped him cold.

"C'mon, Trejo, stay a while. Chances are slim that we'll see each other again, so why don't we savor these final moments, eh?" Nikko said.

Hunter grabbed the hand that was on his shoulder and used it to flip Nikko onto his back. Only one person called him Trejo, and that was Alexandra. Everyone else either called him Hunter or any other name, but definitely not Trejo.

"What the hell is this about Nikko?" he growled.

"This is about you trying to move in on my girlfriend." Nikko quickly pulled out a knife from his boot and held it to Hunter's throat. "I saw you talking to her earlier before class. She's mine, and if you try anything else, you're a dead man."

Hunter resisted the urge to laugh. The blade would probably pierce his skin. "She has her own mind, you know. Whether I've tried to move in on her or not, she can still choose to leave your sorry ass."

Nikko's nostrils flared in anger. "Just for that, I'll leave you a token to remember me by." He pulled the knife away from Hunter's throat and jabbed it into his upper arm. He got up as Hunter fell to his knees and pulled it out.

Hunter cried out in pain, as his hand was stained red with blood.

* * *

Hunter jolted upright in bed. Sweat drenched his skin. His right arm was throbbing with pain. He'd had that dream before, reliving the scene that made him want to forever forget about Alexandra Jung. But something in his mind wouldn't let him. Something in his heart wouldn't let him.

Tonight, he literally didn't want to. The pain in his arm that was now encompassing his entire body wasn't because of the physical wound. It was because of the fact that Lothor had captured her, Alexandra, the one woman he ever allowed himself to fall for. His heart ached, while his mind constantly came up with things to do to Lothor once he got his hands on him. Most of them ended in cruel torture.

All the thinking added in with the heartache gave Hunter a headache. He slowly got out of bed and walked to the hall bathroom, the only one in the apartment. Ignoring the sounds coming from Blake's bedroom, he grabbed the aspirin out of the medicine cabinet. After swallowing down two tablets, he stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like total shit, plain and simple, no other way to explain it.

His blonde hair was matted from the sweat. His eyes were red-rimmed from tears. His skin was a shade paler than usual. Even with the aspirin flowing through his system, every muscle and bone in his body ached. This was a pain that no kind of medicine could ease. He realized that the only way this torture would end was if Alexandra was returned to him.

Hunter tightly shut his eyes, praying to God that all of this was a dream. His life had been perfectly fine before Alexandra had walked back into his life. A little empty, maybe, but it was fine. Of course, he didn't mind that she had been there that day at the park, but it made his life a whole lot more complicated. Before two weeks ago, the only things that could've been Lothor's target to back at him were his friends, but since they were Rangers as well they would've been hard marks to hit. Now he had a greater weakness: love. He was in love with a woman, and Lothor knew about it. Not too add that Alexandra was a former Thunder Ninja Academy student. It was unavoidable -- Lothor would use her against him.

He opened his eyes to complete, unnerving silence. His prayer hadn't been answered. Everything that had happened was still very real. The pain, the memories, all of it, was still existent. They shouldn't be, Hunter thought. He tried thinking of something else, and all that got him was a painful reminder that all of it -- every last bit -- was very real. Sweet Mary, mother of Jesus…it hurt.

* * *

The morning brought more snow and no less pain for Hunter. When he woke up, his head was pounding with the early stages of a migraine, not much better than having his arm hurt like hell. He slowly made his way out of his room and into the living room. The TV was on the news, but Hunter didn't even care to notice the story. He walked over to the dining room to see Tori in the kitchen and Blake sitting down at the table. Hunter didn't even try asking.

"Bro, you look like you got hit by a train," Blake said.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Gee, I wonder why?"

"Sorry."

Tori walked into the dining room and sat down beside Blake, across from Hunter. "I take it you didn't sleep well?"

"My sleep wasn't half-bad," Hunter said, shrugging. "Well, except for the fact that I kept having hellish nightmares involving events from my past. Other than that, it was fine."

"Jeez, you're being more cynical than usual," Tori commented. She shook her head. "But, all things considered, that's probably the way you're supposed to be acting. I'd be worried if it were any different."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Thanks…I think."

"Oh, Cam called earlier. He said to be at Ninja Ops around ten," Blake mentioned suddenly. "So, bro, that means you have about twenty minutes to be de-crapified."

The oldest of the three rolled his eyes. "Whatever that means."

* * *

Ninja Ops was silent. Cam was sitting at the computer, not typing but just sitting. Sensei was pacing back and forth against one end of the table. Dustin and Shane were sitting at the table, both half-asleep. Dustin's head was resting on the surface, but his eyes were open and staring at the little nooks and crannies of the wood. Shane was staring blankly at a wall, either examining the structure or just plain thinking.

Three columns of blue, navy, and crimson light descended into the room. The glitter faded to reveal Tori, Blake, and Hunter. The last didn't seem too happy be there, or to be anywhere outside of his bedroom where he could grieve freely, at least.

"Good, you are here," Sensei said, breaking the unnerving silence.

Blake tried to smile. "Hope you weren't waiting on us too long."

Dustin scoffed. "Only the last half of our lifetimes, dude."

Tori took a seat at the table, and Blake quickly followed suit. "So, any appearances of Lothor on Earth? Or is he still in hiding?"

Hunter bristled and slowly sat down at the far end of the table.

Cam shook his head. "Sadly, nothing from Lothor. It seems that he's still hiding."

"Or devising a complex scheme," Shane said. "Either way, he's still a threat, so we can't exactly be at full rest."

Hunter sighed. "We never can. Besides, we never should've thought that Lothor wasn't a threat. The snowstorm was a distraction, and it worked. We got caught off our guard and that's how Lothor got Alexandra so easily. But the next time he, Zurgane, or anyone else working for him comes round…" His hand was clenched into a fist, illustrating just exactly what he had planned for any one of Lothor's goons.

Sensei sent a look at Hunter. "We mustn't be too hasty, Hunter. It is not in a Ranger's code to escalate a situation; this case is no different. I would hope that you would remember that, even now. I know that you are in great pain, but you must at least try to think clearly, for that is the key to getting Alexandra back."

"Think clearly. Right…" Hunter rubbed his temples, trying to follow Sensei's advice.

"In any case," Cam said, clearing his throat. "Hunter's right. We were caught off our guard, when we should've been the most alert. So, I think I might just have an idea. Now, that's not to say it's a good idea, but it's an idea."

Tori smirked. "Well, as usual, you're the first to come up with anything Cam. Do tell."

Cam smiled briefly at Tori before continuing. "Well…" Suddenly, a loud, screeching sound came from the computer. "That would be the alarm."

"I hope that's all it is," Shane laughed.

"Me too," Sensei agreed.

Cam's fingers hit the keys at an astonishing rate. All of his focus was on the computer, leaving the other Rangers to stare at his back with question.

Hunter hoped with all of his heart that the alarm meant another appearance of Lothor. If Lothor had sent down a monster or one of his generals, that meant that he was going to start the bargaining of Alexandra's life soon. And Hunter was more than willing to give up his own freedom for hers. That was all that mattered.

Slowly Cam turned from his desk. "Okay, this is totally weird."

"What's totally weird?" Dustin asked.

"An evil has popped up in Blue Bay Harbor, and it came from Lothor's ship, but it's definitely not anything that Lothor would typically use. In fact, it's humanoid," Cam replied slowly. "It's the second-strangest thing I've seen in my entire life."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What was the first?"

Cam grinned. "Dustin, Shane, and Tori actually defeating their first monster without the Zords or serious help from me."

"That is a strange sight," Blake laughed.

Hunter shot a glare at his brother. "So, what is this humanoid evil that showed up in Blue Bay Harbor? Do you think it's a serious threat or anything, or that Lothor had anything to do with it being here?"

"That's a good question," Cam said. "Let's see…I have no idea."

Sensei frowned. He looked at the monitor as Cam pushed away from it. His frown deepened. His guinea pig eyes sparked with slight recognition. "Hmm…That is very odd. Why would Lothor be using a king of a planet to do work for him?"

"What?" all the Rangers asked at once.

"That man on the screen is King Kutar of Chronite. I have heard rumors that he was evil, but never would I have thought that he might be working for Lothor. The connection seems unlikely, though. Why would Lothor call upon the help of a king that could be killed for even speaking to him?" Sensei said a lot more to himself that to the Rangers.

Tori rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Ya know, maybe he's got something to do with the snowstorm. I mean, what other explanation is there? Think about it. We get snow in Blue Bay Harbor and some two weeks later this guy shows up. It's the only logical explanation."

Hunter watched the screen for a moment. The man, who Sensei called Kutar, seemed so familiar to him, he just couldn't place how he knew him. He didn't remember him as being one of Lothor's usual goons, but he was too familiar in a different sense to brush aside. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he asked Sensei, "Is there anyway this guy could have learned enough magic to manipulate the weather and make it snow here as a distraction?"

Sensei nodded. "My first reaction, given that he's an Alliance King, would be that he might've learned this at the School of Power on Edenoi. But, manipulating weather without a power is a dark art, which means that he learned it elsewhere. The only place that I know of that would have the courage to teach anyone that is a school in the Evil Spectrum. I'm sure one of the Anatarrian rulers made sure at least twenty were established throughout the empire."

Most of the Rangers remained utterly confused as to the meaning of Sensei's words. They stared at him for further explanation.

"It is quite possible that he learned the ability before becoming King of Chronite. That would be the only plausible explanation," Sensei said after a few moments. "Given, of course, that he is not of the royal house. He married into the family. So, it is highly likely that he did go to a school on the Evil Spectrum to learn how to make it snow in Southern California."

Cam frowned. "Well, should we go out there? I mean, if this guy had anything to do with the capturing of Alexandra, then he's definitely our enemy, right?"

"Go out, but go unmorphed," Sensei said. "If he is alerted to your presence, it is uncertain what he may do."

"Where is he?" Shane asked.

"Near the track," Cam replied quickly. "Let's go."

* * *

The motocross track was just as crowded as usual, maybe even more so. The snow provided an interesting challenge for the riders. Hunter, Dustin, and Blake all sat on their bikes, sizing up the track.

Hunter looked around, searching for more than just tough turns. Over by the starting line, he spotted the man who Sensei called Kutar. He nudged Blake. "There he is."

"Whoa," Dustin said. "Is it just me, or does that guy give off a really creepy vibe?"

"I think it's the second one," Blake replied. He revved up his bike. "Come on, let's ride!" He took off, and Dustin was quick to follow.

Something stopped Hunter. Dustin was right; the guy was creepy. There was something else, though. Something he couldn't place. Again, the familiarity of him was totally surreal and startling. Yet, he couldn't place him anywhere in his memory. It didn't make any sense. Then again, very few things in his life made sense anymore.

Suddenly, Kutar looked up and caught Hunter's gaze, his haunting light blue eyes piercing through the Ranger like jagged shards of ice. Hunter tried to move, tried to get out of there to get away from those eyes, but he couldn't. The longer he stayed, the more that gaze was burned into his mind. Any and all efforts to try to free him from the image were futile. Then, as if nothing had happened at all, Kutar looked away. Hunter breathed a heavy sigh, and shakily started his bike. He didn't trust himself to do a run, so he pulled off to the other side of the starting line. There, Shane and Tori sat on a couple bales of hay, watching the riders.

Shane stood up when Hunter pulled over. "Yo, dude, what's up? Aren't you going to ride with Dustin and Blake? The track looks awesome."

Hunter slowly got off his bike. "I can't, man. Don't ask me why." He sat down next to Tori, almost his entire body shaking from the image that was very clear in his brain.

Tori smirked. "Why? Scared of a couple feet of snow?"

"No…" Hunter stared at the ground. "I saw him, that Kutar guy. I spotted him on the other side of the starting line, but don't look at him, 'cause he might just look back."

Shane resisted a laugh. "You sound like a five-year-old. What, does he ride two-fifties? Wow, I didn't know alien kings did motocross."

Hunter shook his head. "The guy just has these eyes that just…I don't know. It's totally creepy. I really hate to sound cliché, but if looks could kill, that guy would be a mass murderer for sure." He looked up at his friends. "It's really hard to explain other than that."

"He is kind of disturbing, and I'm not usually one to admit that people get under my skin," Cam said after walking closer to the three. He had been standing a little farther off, watching the riders with great interest. "The only question is: What's his motive?"

Shane nodded. "Good question. I mean, why would he be helping Lothor? What does he get out of this whole deal?"

"Maybe he's just plain evil and wants to see the destruction of any Ranger team he can," Tori suggested. "It's been known to happen."

"I don't know," Hunter said. "Something tells me this guy has a serious motive, whatever it might be. He's just too weird to have no particular reason to come here and help Lothor in destroying us. Think about it."

"The broody guy's got a point," Cam agreed.

Hunter sent a glare his way. "Anyway, what should we do? Just sit here and hope that he doesn't recognize us as Rangers?"

Shane held up his left wrist, which sported his Wind Morpher. "I doubt that he wouldn't recognize us. I'm sure that he knows how to spot a morpher from twenty yards. He's an alien king, he has to."

At this point, Dustin and Blake pulled up on their bikes. Both had taken off their helmets and were staring at Hunter. "Dude, why didn't you go out there?"

He explained the situation to them as he had to Tori and Shane. While talking, he avoided looking at them if could help it. Once he finished he glanced at Blake, hoping to God that his brother didn't think he was crazy or something.

Dustin looked like he was between laughing and deciding to verify Hunter's story. "Um, dude, you said that the guy was on the other side of the start line?"

"Yeah…" Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Blake looked over at where Kutar supposedly stood. "'Cause he's not there."

"What?" The blonde turned, aghast. Oddly enough, they were right. Kutar had disappeared while they were talking. Hunter sighed with both relief and vexation. Now Dustin and Blake were sure to think that he was out of his mind. "Well, he was there, like, half a second ago, I swear."

Tori nodded. "Yeah, we saw him. He was seriously creepy."

Blake believed Hunter's story after that, but Dustin was still skeptical. He was skeptical, that is, until Tori threatened to whack him upside his head if he didn't at least pretend to believe their teammate. Cam and Shane watched the events with amusement.

* * *

"Have fun while you can, Rangers," Lothor laughed, watching the Rangers from the bridge of his ship. "The plan is going quite well."

Kutar raised an eyebrow. "Lothor, are you sure that you're doing the best thing here? I mean, messing with this kind of dark power is dangerous to anyone, least of all you. There are safer, more assured, ways to defeat this team of Power Rangers."

Lothor shook his head. "I have tried the safe ways, my Chronitian friend. None of them have worked. Doing it this way puts it as close to me actually doing the work without me actually doing the work, if you catch my drift."

"Messing with this much dark power could easily backfire or destroy you in the process," Kutar warned. "It wouldn't be the first time that it's happened. Remember Lord Zedd? He tried this…Let's just say that it didn't exactly work out in the best manner."

The evil space ninja grinned. "Well, then, I'll succeed where the rest have failed, now won't I? You see, they didn't have the best weapon of all to use against a Ranger: love."

Kutar considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Zedd tried that one, too. Never worked, no matter how many times he made the attempt."

"But he never combined the two, and there's where he went wrong," Lothor said. "Now, sit down, Kutar. Take a load off, have a drink. We have reason to celebrate."

"Not yet, you don't," Kutar muttered, pulling his own flask of Chronitian wine from a space pocket. He leaned against a column and took a swig, staring at the screen on the wall of the bridge. He watched the Rangers have their fun by the motocross track. Today had been the first time that he had seen them firsthand. A pang of familiarity had hit him when he first saw the Crimson Thunder Ranger, Hunter. His mind had placed the face immediately, but his heart refused to believe it. "Impossible," he sighed, draining more than half of the flask in one gulp.

* * *

Alexandra shivered in the cold, dank cell. She drew her knees up to her chest in an attempt for warmth. Apparently, Lothor didn't care much for what temperature the prison was being kept at, so long as he was happy. All night she had been hearing voices, some new and some familiar. She could hear the voices from the bridge with some clarity, though she unfortunately missed what was said in undertones. It seemed everything important was said quietly. Lothor must've known that prisoners could hear.

"Well, that sucks," she thought. "If I could hear them, then I'd have something to tell Hunter when I somehow get out of here."

"Zurgane," a new voice growled suddenly. Alexandra could vaguely recognize it, but it was much deeper than she might've remembered. "When can I see her? I'm getting impatient with this waiting. If Lothor's going to back out of the deal, then--"

"Lothor has no intention of breaking ties with you," Zurgane replied. "It seems that you're a valuable and key piece in destroying the Rangers. Just try to have a little more patience. It seems Lothor enjoys taking his time with evil plans."

The stranger snorted. "As if that's new information. He could've avoided all of this by destroying those two a long time ago, before they had the chance to unite with the Wind Rangers. Then he would've only had four Rangers to deal with in the end of things."

Zurgane sighed. "He thought he could use the Thunder Rangers against them, to destroy them. Obviously, that plan backfired."

"Blake and Hunter," the stranger said the second name with disgust, "were still honorable ninjas at heart, under Lothor's control or not. They weren't fighting for evil; they were just fighting for what they believed to be right. Once someone knows the difference, they'll wise up and join the right side."

"That's exactly what they did," Zurgane agreed.

The stranger laughed. "Only a ninja who's truly converted and submerged into the dark powers can fight his fellow ninjas with confidence of staying on the darker side."

Alexandra muttered a curse. She knew that arrogant attitude unmistakably, that same arrogant attitude that reminded her of exactly why she was stuck in this dismal place. Deep-toned or not, she knew that voice. "Nikko," she whispered.

* * *

The mood in Ninja Ops was slightly lighter than it was before. Hunter was at least trying to smile, while the others were laughing and joking. Even Cam, who was usually glued to the computer, had to join in on the conversation.

Sensei watched them with a smile, but inside he was deeply troubled. "Rangers," he said suddenly. "I would suggest from your happy moods that nothing happened with Kutar at the track?"

Shane nodded. "Yeah. Well, except for the fact that we did see him, and he did see us, or at least we think he did."

"Well, he saw me, at any rate," Hunter interjected. "And let me say that that guy, Kutar, is seriously weird. Pure evil by the looks of him."

"He has had a reputation for being so, Hunter," Sensei replied. "But the things that he has allegedly done have never proven, because there have been no witnesses to his crimes."

"That's probably because he disposes of them all before they can tell anyone what they've seen," Tori said curtly.

Sensei shook his head. "We must not judge someone until we can prove the truth of their crimes." He looked straight at Hunter and Blake, remembering how they had blamed him for killing their adopted parents all those months ago. 

Blake laughed. "I think we've learned our lesson about that, Sensei."

"So, like, what has this guy supposedly done, anyway?" Dustin asked. "I mean, what people think he's done couldn't be all that bad, right? Surely not as bad as, like, Lothor or something?"

"I am afraid that his alleged crimes are very bad indeed, Dustin," Sensei replied. "His evil deeds started many years ago, before all of you were born. As I've told you, he married a princess in order to become King of Chronite. Since then, he has abused his power greatly. I have much sympathy for his daughter and only living heir, who is as good as the six of you. She is apart of the sacred race of the Ninjetti, but that is another story.

"His first act of malevolence was when his daughter was only a year old. It was said that his wife, Queen Rochina of Chronite, had another man's child. Kutar, very angry and probably feeling betrayed, killed his wife for committing adultery and sought after the child. He never found it. The child was supposedly a male, and if found alive, would be the heir to the throne. That is probably why he tried to find the child. Many acts of this nature followed, all growing worse as the time grew later.

"Yet, with all this evidence that Kutar had no good left inside him, there is another rumor which coexists unflinchingly with the others. It was said that, two years after Rochina died, Kutar had a son. This child would have had a great destiny before him, but evil loomed closer than greatness. So, Kutar sent the child to live on Earth where he would be safe from harm. This might prove that he is not entirely ruthless. Now, you see Rangers that we cannot judge until we have all of the facts. It is true that we may misjudge, but we must have a solid basis for any judgment, or we should make no judgment at all."

Hunter stared at the floor as silence crept over Ninja Ops. Sensei's story had given him some insight, but still he remained confused. The story did not explain why Hunter felt such a sense of familiarity when he saw Kutar.

* * *

Lothor was sipping some fine alien wine when someone walked into the bridge of his ship. He looked up and smiled, setting down his wine. "Well, look who's decided to join us. I believe we haven't had the pleasure of having a proper conversation."

"I thought that you'd have been much too busy with other previous engagements to have a business chat with me," the new arrival said, his voice deep and rich.

"Nikko, there are few things that are more important than you are at the moment," Lothor laughed. "Come, have a seat and we'll talk 'business,' as you call it."

The Thunder Ninja Academy graduate known as Nikko sat down in a chair that had magically appeared beside Lothor. "You know what my requirements for doing this job are, and you have not yet met them. I might have to take my business elsewhere if you do not intend to meet my clear-cut demands."

"Ah, but you did not read the fine print of your contract. Before your demands can be met, you must give a demonstration of your ability to obliterate the Rangers. I realize that you have no powers with which to compete with them, but we will soon have a remedy to that problem. I have Kutar working on it now," Lothor replied.

Nikko nodded. "One of your more competent employees, I'm afraid."

"Yes, he works well under pressure. Sadly, I must say, he's a bit of a mercenary, much like you. He asks to paid for his services," Lothor lamented. "The price is worth the destruction of those pesky Ranger brats, though. That much can be said with confidence." He looked at Nikko suspiciously, and eyebrow raised. "Now, what's your problem with the Rangers? Did they stop a plan of yours, or do you just find them annoying?"

"Has it not become clear to you why I asked to help you two weeks ago?" Nikko sighed. "Apparently not. Well, three years ago, as you might remember, was the day that I graduated from the Academy, along with the Thunder Rangers and Alexandra. That was the day that I found out that Hunter had been plotting to steal my girlfriend, and as a matter of fact -- he did." He paused to glare at Lothor's glass of wine, which was a deep crimson in color, reminding him of all the reasons why he sat there glaring at it. "As much as I know that evil is supposedly immune to any emotions besides hatred, anger, and lust, I had fallen very much in love with Alexandra, and it was because of that idiot Trejo that I lost her. Call it a revenge match, Lothor. That is why I am here. The downfall of the Crimson Thunder Ranger would be my greatest pleasure, especially if I get to do it myself. The only thing greater would be to see her again, my other reason for helping you."

Lothor grinned. "A very good reason to want revenge. Well, the sooner Kutar finishes the project the sooner you shall exact that revenge, eh? Let's hope the king works quickly."

Nikko looked surprised. "King? Kutar's a king? He didn't look of any royal blood that I've heard of."

"That's because I'm not technically of any royal house that you've heard of, Nikko," Kutar called from the entrance to the bridge. He had just walked into the room and caught the last bits of the conversation. "My wife was of Chronitian royal blood, the House of Chasson. That's how I became king, if you were wondering."

"I was, I suppose," Nikko replied.

Kutar nodded. "Good. That's one less question you'll ask me later during an awkward silence, if that is indeed possible on this ship." He turned and walked away, returning to his work in a lower level of the ship.

Nikko blinked, watching Kutar walk away. Something about that cocky stride struck him as vaguely familiar…

* * *

Hunter ducked a kick from Blake and blocked a punch from Dustin, so close to falling over. They had returned to training, realizing that Lothor was not going to sit in hiding forever. Sensei was preparing them for the worst that was yet to come. Snow would not stop an evil space ninja from working his evil ways.

"So, how long do you figure until Lothor shows up with a new monster?" Tori asked offhandedly as she sent a kick towards Shane.

Shane blocked it with ease. "Something tells me it won't be a monster that he shows up with. It'll something worse than that for sure."

Cam blocked one of Blake's random punches and made towards Dustin. "That something is probably going to be Kutar, or something that has to do with him. Why else would he be here? Take in the sights of a snow-covered Blue Bay Harbor?"

Dustin quickly got out of Cam's way. "I don't know, dude. It is nice around here with all the snow and stuff. He could be here for that." He readied himself for an attack from all sides.

Blake shook his head with a laugh and dodged a jab from Hunter. "Get real, dude. That guy has a serious mission to smoke us."

Hunter thwarted another kick from Blake and looked over at Dustin. "Yeah. He's seriously evil, and I'm betting anything that says that he'll stop at nothing to see us destroyed."

Shane glanced over at Hunter with a grin. "I thought it was against a ninja's code to gamble on evil."

Laughs ran out among the sparring. Sensei watched them with a smile. Whatever danger loomed around the corner, they would be ready to face it.


	4. The Dark Ranger

Author's Note: HA! This chapter proves to the entire world that, indeed, writer's block is not an incurable disease! That, and it is possible to write two stories at once. [shrugs] Who knew? Anyway, thanks to everyone who's reveiwed and said such nice things about the story. (I love feedback). And a shout out to those who have basically made me finish this chapter because the suspense was deadly (you know who you are [winks]). Also {} indicates telepathic speech. So, without any further ado, I present to you Tall, Blonde, and Broody -- Chapter Four!

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Four: _"The Dark Ranger"_

Alexandra awoke the next morning to find herself in quite different surroundings. She was lying comfortably in a soft bed and covered with warm blankets. There was a small, circular table to the left of the bed, and a small mirror was sitting on it. The room was otherwise bare, except for a console that stood across the room. She guessed it was for keeping contact with other parts of the ship. She slowly got out of bed to find clothes on the table. 

She gasped as she recognized the clothes. They resembled the Crimson Thunder Ninja uniform she had worn during her days at the Academy, but instead of burgundy and black it was black with silver accents where the burgundy would be. Confused, she changed into the uniform. What could this mean? What was Lothor trying to pull?

* * *

Hunter and Blake walked into Ninja Ops, both ready for the day ahead. "Anything new, Cam?" the older Trejo asked. 

Cam shook his head. "I would've called you already if there was anything."

They sat down at the table. Shane and Tori were already there; Dustin had yet to arrive. Then, something came flying down the stairs and tripped over a pillow that was lying carelessly in the middle of the floor. Everyone turned to see Dustin slowly rising from the floor, looking more in shock than in pain.

"Ooh, that had to hurt," Blake said, wincing.

"I'm okay, I'm okay. Nobody panic," Dustin announced, brushing imaginary dust off his ninja uniform. He looked around as no one had made any apparent move to help him. "All right then, at least someone care."

Tori grinned. "We care in the sense that your fall was great comedic entertainment."

Dustin feigned a smile. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

Even Hunter had to smile. "So, what's our next move?" he asked as Dustin sat down.

"We must wait for something to happen," Sensei said. "In the mean time, you six should return to training. That is the most we can do right now."

The Rangers exchanged exasperated glances as they returned to training like they had the day before. They all hoped that Lothor would make a move soon.

* * *

Nikko paced across the bridge of the ship. He was considering his options. "All you want me to do is scare them? That sounds a bit trivial of a thing to ask of me. I didn't agree to work for you so you could use me to make a Power Ranger piss his pants." 

Lothor waved away the complaint. "It is the simplest of the many things that you will have to do in order to exact your revenge, I must say. Why don't you have some fun with it? Besides, if you don't show at least the tiniest bit of your ability to eliminate the Rangers, I dare say that you pass up the chance to see your precious Alexandra. That is merely half the reason why you are here, is it not?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Lothor. That I must admit." Nikko sighed. Lothor did have him cornered; there were no ways that he could avoid this task and still see Alexandra. "Fine. I'll go. Just tell me where and when, and I'll see what I can do about scaring those pathetic Rangers. No matter how inconsequential this request seems, you have officially pigeonholed me."

"Glad to hear you admit it!" Lothor exclaimed. "Prepare yourself quickly, the time for when you shall strike is soon."

* * *

Blake and Tori were sparring; Dustin and Shane were practicing moves; Cam and Hunter were running through their own katas as usual. A normal day was commencing in Ninja Ops. Few of them were thinking of the insane amounts of snow outside, or even the trouble that they might get from Lothor some time soon. All they could think about was dodging the next punch or kick and the next step in their routine. This thinking tactic had always been a crucial piece in being a good ninja: Never let your mind stray too far from the present situation. Worrying about too much at once could easily cost you the battle. 

So today they followed this singular bit of advice; there was hardly anything that could blow their concentration now.

Without warning, a loud beep sounded from the computer. Blake, being caught off guard, ending up taking a punch to the stomach; Shane didn't land a flip right and fell backwards, accidentally pulling Dustin down with him; and both Cam and Hunter managed to inadvertently hit something with either a kick or punch. Only Tori was left standing or hadn't destroyed anything, but even she had been knocked a bit off balance by the sudden noise.

Cam, nursing his wrist from when he hit it hard against the wall, walked over to the computer and pressed a sequence of buttons with his good hand. "There's a serious heat signature reading out in the park. Don't go just yet. Let me engage the new scanning system so we have a better idea of what it is. For all we know, it could be a huge cat or something."

The other five waited in suspense, Hunter especially. All of his focus was on the computer screen, all of his thoughts bent on the possibility on what that heat reading might mean. The chances that it was one of Lothor's goons, or even Lothor himself, were a million to one, but there was still that small percentage that gave Hunter hope.

"Well, as it turns out, I finished the scanning system just in time. The heat energy is a human, but that's not all," Cam said finally. "This guy is so full of dark power, it's not even close to being funny. Better Ranger-up before we go out there, unless you want to end up dead."

Blake shook his head. "Well, worrying about death is the least of our problems at the moment, Cam. We still have to figure this whole thing, and I've got ten bucks that says this guy plays some big part."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "You don't actually have ten bucks, do you Blake? 'Cause the last time I checked, we were all broke from buying winter gear."

Tori rolled her eyes. "That's not the point, Shane. The point is, we better get out there before this guy causes any serious damage."

"Uh…right," Shane said, averting his eyes.

"Let's go," Hunter said with determination.

"Right," the others replied.

The six fell into a line in front of the computer. Cam summoned his Cyclone Morpher.

"Ninja Storm--"

"Thunder Storm--"

"Samurai Storm--"

"Ranger form, ha!"

And with those words they morphed and teleported out of Ninja Ops.

* * *

The six Ninja Storm Power Rangers landed in Blue Bay Park. They stood still and silent for many moments, listening for any other signs of life. 

"Cam, are you sure it was here?" Shane asked.

"I'm positive," Cam replied. "The computer never lies."

"Only fools are positive, dude," Blake said, grinning underneath his helmet.

"Are you sure?" Tori questioned, also grinning.

Blake laughed. "Positive."

Dustin shook his head. "Okay, that totally didn't make any sense."

Tori giggled. "And here I thought that Dustin had seen every animated movie ever made. I guess not."

"I think I'll just shut up and go back to looking for the bad guy now," Dustin muttered, clearing his throat.

"That might be wise for all of us," Hunter said. "This guy might come out of nowhere. We'd better be on our guard."

"Even if you're on your guard, the odds are I can still beat you in any ninja art in existence," a deep, almost malicious voice said, the tones resonating off of the trees. "Lothor has only bad things to say, but that's not much of an opinion is it?"

A shadowy form appeared before them. It seemed to be a Ranger, but it was almost too easy to tell that it was a dark being of some sort. If the uniform wasn't enough of a hint, the figure exuded so much evil and malignant energy it was near impossible to say that there was even a chance that he was good.

"You know, as seriously bad this guy seems, I kind of have to agree with him on that last statement," Dustin remarked offhandedly.

Hunter was already in a defensive stance. "Who are you?" he snarled.

The evil laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know? I suppose telling you would make figuring out this mystery a bit easier, wouldn't it? Well, that's not my mission. Anything that's convenient for you is something I must avoid at all costs."

"Gee, he's one to evade answering a question," Shane said, glancing at his friends.

"One of my more charming qualities, I'm told."

The Crimson Thunder Ranger raised an eyebrow beneath his helmet. That arrogant tone…he'd heard it before, he just wasn't sure where.

Tori fell into a fighting stance. "So, did you come here to fight us, or just talk? We're game either way, so it really doesn't matter."

"Good, because I came here to fight," the dark figure said. He launched himself at the Blue Ranger, flipping in mid-air and pulling out a sword at the same time.

Quicker than lightning, Tori pulled out her Ninja Sword and parried the blow. How did the guy come to think that she would do anything else?

Blake jumped in the middle of the action with his staff. He blocked a couple of shots, then kicked the guy away. He recognized the guy's fighting style; he just wasn't sure where he'd seen it before.

The evil warrior rolled away from Blake and Tori, then headed towards Hunter. His sword changed into a staff, a weapon better suited to fighting against a Thunder Ranger.

Hunter was unfazed by the transformation of the weapon. The guy had a couple parlor tricks up his sleeve, so what? He pulled out his Thunder Staff and held it in a defensive position as the guy charged forward. Whatever this guy could dish out, he could handle it.

"Ha, you look tough, but let's see how you do in the face of death," the evil said, laughing. The blonde Ranger's eyebrow became raised again. He just knew that voice, but he couldn't place it anywhere in his memory. It was frustrating.

In the next moment there was a clash of staffs. Black and crimson faced off; both moved with quick reflexes and perfectly executed moves. After a few well-done parries, Hunter somehow managed to knock the opponent away, giving him time to think. He wasn't used to fighting with this quick style. It wasn't the Crimson Thunder ninja technique. The other man's attacks were fast, with many defensive moves in between, but they were still powerful. While similar to the Crimson Thunder, it was the speed that set them apart. This meant that there was only one other fighting style that fit those descriptions.

"Navy Thunder," Hunter muttered, glancing at Blake. Then, it all came together in his mind: the voice, the fighting style, it all made sense. "Nikko!" he exclaimed. He turned to face the dark warrior. "What the hell are you doing here fighting us?"

The other Rangers were staring at him, but he didn't care. "Answer the question, damnit! You disappear for three years and then suddenly show up one day and start fighting two of the same people who you went to the Thunder Ninja Academy with? What's your mental problem? Were you not loved enough as a child, or what?"

Nikko transformed his staff back into a blade, then put it in its sheath. "Well, that's just something you'd love to know, isn't it Trejo?" With that, he teleported out of the battle.

Hunter's fists slowly clenched and unclenched. None of this made any sense. Ever since Alexandra came to Blue Bay Harbor, nothing made sense.

Blake was rooted to the ground. "Whoa, you're telling me that was Nikko? After all these years he shows up here? Why?"

The others were confused. "Who's Nikko?" Shane asked.

"We'll explain back at Ninja Ops," Hunter replied quickly, then teleported out. Blake was slow to follow. The remaining four exchanged bewildered glances before going back to Ninja Ops to get the confusion sorted out.

* * *

The air in Ninja Ops was tense. Hunter paced back and forth; Blake leaned against a wall, while the others stared at the two with puzzlement. Every few minutes or so Hunter would mutter something incoherent and shake his head. 

"So, who's Nikko?" Tori finally asked.

Blake smirked. "Ah, the million-dollar question. Hunter, if you wouldn't mind leaving your brooding for just a moment to answer everyone's question?"

Hunter looked up. "Huh? Oh, Nikko was this guy who attended the Thunder Ninja Academy with Blake and me. Actually, he was a Navy Thunder, funnily enough. Anyway, he was the one dating Alexandra when we graduated, so yeah. There's his motive."

Sensei was pacing on one end of the table. "Lothor seems to have planned this all very carefully. He is using Alexandra as bait, and Nikko to destroy you it would seem. The only question that remains is--"

"What's Kutar's part in this whole thing? What does he get from our destruction?" Shane finished. "That's the one part I don't get."

Cam shrugged. "Who knows? Money, maybe?"

Tori didn't look convinced. "That doesn't make any sense. I don't think any evil being would just aid someone else unless he got something out of it. Considering that he's a king of a planet, I don't think money's an issue."

"That doesn't leave much," Dustin sighed. "Come on, this guy has to be helping Lothor for some good reason. We just have to think of it."

Shane shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Kutar didn't actually go to Lothor looking for a job. It's possible that Lothor hired Kutar to do something that he couldn't do himself. Like, maybe, Kutar had some kind of resource that Lothor couldn't get, so he hired him instead."

"Hmm…That is probable," Sensei said. "What is also interesting is how Nikko had powers very similar to yours, but made of pure darkness. Something is not right here."

Hunter snapped his fingers. "That's it! Lothor needed access to a seriously powerful dark energy source, and Kutar had it. So, he hired him and Kutar created those dark ninja powers, and Lothor gave them to Nikko."

"Whoa, check out Sherlock over here," Blake laughed. "That was a quick deduction."

Cam grinned. "His brooding has to be for some purpose."

"You know, that sounds like it could work," Dustin said. "I mean, what other reasons are there? We certainly haven't thought of anything better."

Tori nodded. "Okay, we now have a theory. Now, we just have to keep Nikko from destroying Hunter."

"Why would he want to destroy you anyway?" Shane asked, looking suspiciously at the Crimson Thunder Ranger.

"It's a long story," Hunter replied. "And also one that I really don't want to get into at the moment, if you don't mind. But, I will say that it's got something to do with the fact that Nikko dated Alexandra and she broke up with him not too long after graduation. I'm not sure if me now seeing her has anything to do with it, or if Nikko even knows. If he did, I imagine he'd add it to his list of reasons to see my demise."

"Gee, you're not the best expert at getting on someone's good side, are you?" Cam asked.

Hunter shrugged. "I try, but sometimes it just doesn't work out."

Shane laughed. "I heard that."

* * *

Nikko sighed heavily as he teleported into Lothor's ship. Scaring those Rangers had been a little tougher than he'd anticipated, but not by much. Though, they were still stronger than Lothor obviously knew. He wondered briefly if he had failed his mission to, as he put it, "make a Power Ranger piss his pants." 

"Excellent job," Lothor said suddenly from behind him. "You definitely have them frightened of you."

The dark ninja waved a hand dismissively. "They're not quite frightened yet. It's true that they are confused, especially with Hunter figuring out my identity, but they are certainly not scared of me in the least bit."

Lothor clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Either way, they are set back farther than they can catch up by the time we're through." He noticed Nikko looking at him expectantly. "Yes."

Without another thought, Nikko ran out of the bridge of the ship. He raced down a few corridors until he reached the elevator, which took him to the living quarters deck. Past the first hall and to the left was the room he sought. The doors opened slowly to reveal Alexandra in a black and silver ninja uniform, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Nikko's heart leaped in his chest. It had been so long since he'd been in the same room as her, three years to be exact. It had been three years since the day she more or less sent him from her sight like the goddess she was. _Because of him_, his mind reminded. With some new power running through his veins, he took a bold step into the room.

Alexandra looked up, her face going from wonder to anger. Her midnight eyes were ablaze with a fire that meant hatred for the man standing in the doorway. She stood, but didn't move towards him. "Nikko," was all she said. In her voice lie many emotions and unsaid words, but the most evident was a warning that basically told him to back off.

He moved farther into the room, closer to his former lover. "Alexandra, it's so good to see you again. It's been three years since last we met. I was hoping I'd get a better welcome."

She didn't shrink back or try to get away. She held her ground. He didn't scare her in the least. "Three years is far too soon. I was hoping that our next meeting would never happen."

Nikko waved a hand and the doors closed behind him. After they were shut, something clicked. They were locked inside the room. "What did that idiot white boy do to twist your mind against me like this? And your heart, for that matter." He put an unsure hand on her arm.

There was just enough hesitation in his grip for her to grab his wrist and flip him on his back. "Hunter didn't do anything. You're the one who screwed up, Nikko." She took a step away for the first time. "Get out."

The former Navy Thunder Ninja was quick to stand up. "You forget, on this ship, I am above you, which means that I do not follow any orders besides Lothor's, and even that's a stretch." With all the speed expected from a graduated Thunder Ninja, he pinned Alexandra against a wall. "I don't want to hurt you, so don't make me."

Alexandra held back the bile in her throat. His touch disgusted her. She felt no fear from his threats. Not many things scared her, and Nikko had never been on that list. In an almost reflex action, she kneed his groin and pushed him away. She walked across the room and fell into a defensive stance.

Nikko was doubled over with pain. It wasn't as though he had forgotten how good a fighter, strong-willed, and stubborn Alexandra was; he just had counted on her being a little afraid of his new dark presence. It was obvious that she wasn't going to make this easy. After the pain had subsided a little, he leaped at her.

Fighting in the small quarters was tough, but both ninjas could swing it. Somehow, in the flurry of kicks, punches, and blocks, Nikko managed to get Alexandra on the bed. She quickly realized the weakness, and made to flip off, but something stopped her. Nikko held his hand out and a ball of dark energy sprouted from it. The energy ball expanded and seemed to act like a shield, in effect keeping her right where she was.

It was that action that confirmed to Alexandra the suspicion she'd had over the last three years: there was no chance in hell that Nikko was still an honorable ninja. He had truly converted to the dark side.

Alexandra struggled against the shield, hoping the force of good within her was enough to break it. Before she could find the answer, Nikko climbed on top of her and sneered. "I told you I didn't want to hurt you, but you leave me no choice," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

Hunter lay awake in his bed, trying to focus on the music flowing out of his stereo. If he let himself think about anything else, he'd end up worrying about too many things, and be sent right down the spiral he just managed to pull himself out of. Instead, he concentrated on the penetrating female voice singing in his stereo. Sure, the music was depressing, but it was enough to keep his mind off other things. 

Suddenly his stomach twisted into knots, and his chest seemed to tighten. One could say that he had a grueling headache as well, but it was hard to tell since he had pain in almost every part of his body. Many questions were burned into his mind at once, but he couldn't distinguish one from the other. The only one he could discern was why this was happening to him, but like all the others he couldn't answer it.

Then, somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a faint female cry. The voice was filled with pain and anguish. He couldn't recognize it because it was so distant, but he knew it wasn't anything good. He got up and turned off his stereo, hoping the silence would help him think, and maybe hear the voice again. He was sick and tired of being confused. Everything around him was a mystery. There was some clarification, but not enough to change anything. He still didn't understand any of it. And now there was a mysterious voice in his head? He was ready to scream if something didn't change.

Not a second too soon, the voice called out to him again. "Hunter!" was the cry.

Hunter froze. He knew that voice. Why or how he heard it in his head, he didn't know, but that didn't matter. {Alexandra?} he mentally asked. He hoped his senses hadn't led him astray.

{Hunter? You can hear me?} There was a liberal amount of control and strain that had been added to that voice. Something was going on. Nonetheless, it was who he thought it was.

{You're inside my head!} Hunter exclaimed. {Of course I can hear you! What's going on? Lothor hasn't hurt you has he? 'Cause if he has--}

{It's not Lothor,} Alexandra said. {Hunter, listen, I don't have much time before they figure out that I'm telepathic. Once they do, this is cut off. Promise me you'll listen?}

Hunter gave a mental yes, but his thoughts had strayed elsewhere. Alexandra was telepathic? Who was hurting her? He was a step away from answering the question when her voice interrupted his thoughts.

{I don't know what Lothor's planning, but it involves Nikko and this guy named Kutar. He's going to use me to get to you. Do not, under any circumstances, give in! I'll be fine. The fate of Earth is more important than my life.}

{No way! There's no way in hell I'm leaving you to die!} He stood up, his temper flaring. He wasn't sure whom he was angrier with at the moment: Alexandra or Lothor.

{Hunter, listen to me! When and if it comes down to it, promise me you won't do something stupid like pick me over the fate of the Earth. Please, Trejo. Worse things could happen than me dying.}

The Crimson Thunder Ranger shook his head, a few tears slowly slipping out of his ice blue eyes. {I can't, Alex, and you know it. I care about you way too much. I'm going to get you out of there. I don't know how, but you are not going to die. I can't let that happen.}

{Please, Hunter, you have to--} Her sentence was cut off. Her voice became fainter until it dissipated from his mind entirely. He tried calling out her name, but there was no response, only an echo which meant that his message was going nowhere.

_Shit_, he thought. He knew what had happened. Lothor or someone had discovered their connection. Of course, Hunter had no idea how the hell it had been established in the first place, but he was glad it was. It gave him a new resolve for the purpose he'd set at the beginning: He would free Alexandra from Lothor, no matter what the cost. She would not die, not as long as he was still standing.


	5. Setbacks

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, everybody! I had a _huge_ case of writer's block that lasted three months and a day (that's the exact date, no lying). But, now that I'm back on track, there should be no further delays. Anyway, this is one angsty chapter; you've been warned! Oh, and a thank you to everyone who's reviewed, you've inspired me. And a thanks to Manders1953 (go read her stuff; it's pretty awesome) for pushing me to keep up with this story, and for helping me work out a few plot kinks. Whoo-hoo! On to Chapter Five!

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

The Trejo Explanation: I realize that this should've been here in Chapter One, but at least let me do it now to get it out of the way. For those of you who've noticed, Hunter's last name here is Trejo. This is because when I started writing this story, I didn't know just _what_ his real last name was, so I used the one that I heard most commonly at that time, Trejo. I realize now that it's Bradley, but at the time I didn't have cable or an internet connection, so there was no way for me to tell (if you're telling me to watch ABC, my local station WJLA doesn't air PR for some strange, sick, twisted reason). I couldn't go back and change it, either, because to me it just didn't fit right. I've now admitted that that is his last name, so you all can leave me alone about it. And I also won't be changing his name in this story, for those who want to know.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Five: _"Setbacks"_

Over the next few days, the Rangers' training was intensified. Sensei was taking no chances. He knew what Lothor was capable of, and now that he had a Ranger of his own filled with the darkest of energies, he was not about to leave anything up to fate. Since the encounter with Nikko, Sensei had noticed a distinct change in Hunter. No longer was there a listless or incomprehensible look in those eyes; now the ice blue orbs held a fire, a resolve that no force in this universe could shake. Something had given him a new mission. As to what, he could only speculate.

At the end of the day, even Cam (who normally stood for just about everything his father could dish out) was tired and ready to quit being a ninja. "Does this training regimen have to be so harsh?" he gasped after they'd finished.

Hunter took it in stride. He ignored the pleas of his teammates and seemed to ask Sensei for a tougher challenge. "It'll help us in the long run. We have to be prepared for whatever Lothor hands us. We can't let him win."

Dustin was taking in his breath in deep, abnormal breaths. Today had been endurance training, which definitely was no ninja's favorite. "Can't we worry about that when we actually have to fight him? I mean we don't even know what he might come up with. What if he rips us a new one, and all of this training would have been for nothing?"

Shane glanced between Dustin and Hunter. He couldn't understand Hunter's new resolve and toughness in training. He could, however, understand that something was amiss, and he knew how important this training was. "There's no way that the training would be for nothing. Even if Lothor does rip us a new one, it will somehow be connected to all that we've learned. Every ninja art is linked, even if we don't know it, it will at some point tie in to one we know. We just have to be able to hold for that long."

"A wise answer, Shane," Sensei replied. "That is where endurance comes in. Master it, and you will be able to withstand anything Lothor may have in mind. This you all must remember, my students."

They all nodded as he exited the room. Then, everyone turned to Hunter, staring blankly at him. "Since when did you root for harder training routines?" Tori asked.

Hunter sighed and sat down by the table. He definitely needed to mediate to clear his head. For some reason, training kept bringing up memories of Alexandra, and that usually threw off his focus. He didn't look at his teammates. "We have to be ready to face Nikko, Kutar, and Lothor. You know we're going to face all three."

Tori shook her head. "That line may work with Sensei, but I know there's a totally different reason why you're training harder. Something happened. Just tell us what."

"It doesn't matter," Hunter muttered before closing his eyes and attempting to zone out.

"Denial." Tori shook her head, staring at the mess of blond hair before going up the stairs, where the cold air hit her with a vengeance. Considering she was sweating from every pore, however, it felt good.

Blake watched his brother attempt to meditate. "Bro, she's right. There's something up. Have there been any developments with Alexandra?"

"You can tell us, dude," Dustin said, sitting down across the table from Hunter. "We promise we won't laugh or freak out or anything."

To no one's surprise, Hunter refused to answer. He just sat there, eyes closed and breathing deeply and evenly. Blake and Cam groaned in unison; Shane merely shook his head; Dustin didn't react, he just stared at the Crimson Thunder Ranger.

"I talked to her," Hunter replied quietly after a few tense moments. His eyes were still closed to the world, but he seemed to know exactly what his friends were doing. Perhaps it was some kind of ninja sense.

Cam blinked at his friend's response. "What?" he cried, his voice echoing through Ninja Ops. "What are you talking about? That's ridiculous! She's on Lothor's ship; you are on Earth. Communication is virtually impossible!"

"Virtually," Hunter reminded, his eyes finally opening. The world he saw was the clearest it had been since meeting Alexandra in the park that fateful day. With this new mission he'd set in his mind, nothing was obscure or indistinct to him. Even this looming battle with Lothor and Nikko seemed like something that was beatable.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "What the hell do you mean, 'virtually?' Bro, you better start giving some straight answers, or I swear I'm going to punch you."

"Mind if I second that motion?" Cam mumbled.

The eldest Trejo brother sighed and rolled his eyes. "She somehow established a telepathic connection with me, and we talked. Are you happy?"

Dustin, who always had been the comic book geek and considered himself an expert all that is either superhero or sci-fi, looked at Hunter with a new interest in his hazel eyes. "Telepathic connection? Wouldn't Lothor's ship have some kind of forcefield against that kind of thing?" he asked.

Everyone in the room was surprised, all raising an eyebrow at Dustin. If nothing else, they would've expected that question from Cam. Hunter could only shrug in reply. "You would think. But, there was a connection, and we talked until it was cut off."

The Yellow Ranger rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Which probably meant that a scanner picked up on the telepathic wavelengths and Lothor put up a forcefield to counter it."

Shane wasn't sure he'd heard Dustin (of all people) use so many big words in one sentence before. "Uh, so what did you guys talk about?"

Hunter took in a deep breath before answering that question, preparing himself for his own reaction to facing it head-on. "She basically told me what we already had figured out, and told me to not choose her over Earth. That was all she said before the connection was cut."

Cam leaned against a wall. "I wish she could've told you more. Maybe then I'd feel better about this whole upcoming battle with Lothor and Nikko."

Blake shrugged. "She probably knows just about as much as we do. It's not like she gets to hear all of Lothor's plans to the very last detail."

"Of course not," Shane said. "We wouldn't be that lucky."

"Oh no, never dude," Dustin laughed. He looked at Hunter. "She'd tell us if she knew anything though, wouldn't she?"

"Alexandra?" Hunter asked, simply wanting to hear her name out loud again. "Yeah, I'm sure she would. There's no reason for her not to do it. Us having the information could only help her situation."

Cam grimaced a bit. "Or, it could worsen her situation if Lothor found out that she was relaying important details to you." He quickly received a glare from the blonde.

Dustin checked his watch. "I'd better get over to Storm Chargers. Kelly's gonna freak if I'm late again. You guys wanna hang out?"

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to hang around here a little longer and train some more," Hunter answered.

"Well, you shouldn't train by yourself, so I guess I'll stay too," Blake said, sighing ever so slightly. His brother's new determination was getting just a little annoying.

"I'll go with you, D," Shane stated. "I don't think I could take any more training."

The two left and headed up to the surface. Hunter, Cam, and Blake went back to training, the latter two not as happy about it as the first.

* * *

The mood about Lothor's ship was a curious one. Everyone was preparing for a big battle against the Power Rangers, but something seemed…off. It was probably because Lothor was in a surprisingly good mood. That morning found the evil space ninja sitting on his throne on the bridge of the ship, watching some Earthen morning television on the large viewing screen on the opposite wall.

Nikko walked in to find this scene, and his eyebrows shot up in curiosity. "Earthen television? Isn't that just a little contradictory?"

"Why?" Lothor asked, not once looking away from the screen.

"Because you're enjoying entertainment of a planet that you intend to destroy," Nikko replied, grinning a bit.

Lothor shook his head. "I never said I would destroy it. I'm merely going to become the supreme ruler of it, which means I'll be keeping the entertainment, thank you very much. So, what of our prisoner?"

"She's under control," Nikko answered simply. "By the way, have you seen Kutar this today? I've been meaning to ask him something, as well as check on his progress."

The viewing screen shut off as Lothor looked up. "Come to think of it, he's been rather quiet this morning. I'll ask Zurgane if he checked in this morning."

It wasn't long before the general was called to the bridge of the ship. After being given an explanation of the situation, the black and gold pile of metal wouldn't look directly at Lothor. "Uh, sir, it would seem that I haven't heard from Kutar all day."

Lothor's upset yell resounded through the bridge and the nearby corridors.

* * *

Kutar stared at himself in the mirror, watching in horror as his eyes changed shades of blue in an instant. For a moment, they were a cold, piercing ice blue, and the next they were the same color, but the coldness had changed to a fiery passion. He felt the change within him as well. "This cannot be happening!" he yelled into his mind.

_It's been years in the making_, a voice inside his head replied.

The man on the outside blanched. It had been just over nineteen years since he'd last heard that voice. There was no fear within him about it, just dread. He was so close to his goal, and now everything was about to be jeopardized.

"Quiet you!" he said aloud, hoping the sound of his voice would get rid of the voice in his head. It was a hope beyond hope.

_He won't allow you to kill the girl. He'll try to rescue her._

"That's precisely what I'm counting on," he answered, not sure why he was talking to himself. The outward manifestation was in hopes it make the voice leave him in peace. "If he does, I'll kill him too. "

_I can't let you do that_, the voice said with unbending resolve.

He breathed heavily in and out. Fighting with the voice was taxing on his body and mind. He hadn't counted on an inward battle. "What are you going to do about it? There is no way that you can possibly get rid of me! I am as much a part of you as that treacherous woman was, fool. You cannot stop me."

A pain ripped through his body. He groaned, but didn't back down. He had fought for too long, too hard to give up control now, just when his plan was in motion.

_You are nothing but a leech that needs to be removed to me; I have all the reason I need now. Take a step near the boy with dangerous intentions, and no longer will you have control._

"Rubbish," he muttered, the pain still alive within him. "Nonsense! I will kill him and all that fight alongside him. This planet shall be mine, once I have used Lothor to his usefulness. You will have nothing to say about it!"

More pain hit him, and it all soon became a dull, never-ending ache. The strain the mental battle was putting on his body was beginning to manifest itself. He couldn't think straight; he couldn't even see straight.

_I have more control than you think. Harm him, or even her, and I will return the favor. You have put yourself in a dangerous situation by being here._

The voice made its point by taking away all the pain quickly, then immediately adding more than ever before. The dull aching became a severe throbbing that went on forever, unending so long as the voice wasn't pleased.

The effect was that he could no longer stand. He fell back into his bed, clutching his body and moaning outright. Still, he refused to give in to the voice's demands. He had plans that he wouldn't give up on, that he couldn't give up on. He'd wagered far too much in this game to fold his hand and back away from the table.

_I'm winning._

"Far from it, I'm afraid," he managed. It was a lie, but he wanted to believe that it was true. He tried to ignore the physical pain and focus on the internal struggle.

The doors to his chambers suddenly flew open to reveal an angry Lothor and a curious Nikko. "What are you doing still in bed?" Lothor asked.

At the appearance of the two evil ninjas, the pain in his body intensified, if that was possible, almost daring him to reply. So much restraint and control were put into his next words. "Just thinking. I was pondering over whether we have enough…resources to finish the operation. What do you think?"

Lothor's eyes narrowed underneath the mask. "I think the energy supply is fine. You could've at least checked in with Zurgane."

He drew in a few breaths before answering. "The matter was serious at the time."

The eye narrowing turned into a glare, and with that Lothor left the room. Nikko stayed behind, however, watching the king writhe on his bed for a moment. "You lied and Lothor bought it. How convenient. Do not cause any delays in the schedule. We are going to fight those Rangers, whether you like it or not."

The doors closed, leaving him alone again. The silence was unnerving; reminding him that he was alone in his struggle. "You haven't won yet."

_That doesn't mean I won't._

* * *

The Trejo brothers arrived home later that night, both freezing from the still-strange weather. As Hunter ventured into the living room, Blake went into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. Searching around for the tea bags, he heard his brother doing something in the main room of the apartment. He peeked out to find Hunter pulling out a futon from the closet. "Um, bro, what are you doing?"

"I can't sleep in my room, so I'm going to sleep out here," Hunter replied rather frankly.

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you sleep in your room? Last time I checked it was just fine. What happened?"

Hunter sighed and laid out the futon. "I just…can't sleep in there. I keep thinking about that last conversation I had with Alexandra, and it drives me crazy." After sitting down on the couch, he scrubbed his face with his hands and looked up at his brother. "I just wish Lothor would get this battle over with already. I'm tired of waiting."

"We all are, dude." Blake sat down next to him. "But, obviously, Lothor intends to draw this out, either to make us antsy or to gather more strength to him. Either way, all we can do is just sit down and wait for something to happen. And you need to take a load off, dude. You've been training way too hard lately."

"I just want to be prepared," Hunter replied, looking away. He wasn't about to admit that Blake was at least partially right.

The younger brother shook his head. "Prepared? In training today, you were practically challenging Sensei to give us harder stuff. This is borderline insanity!"

"Look, I don't know if you recall that fight with Nikko or not, but he's powerful. We have to be ready for anything he dishes out."

"You handled him fine then."

"But, he'll be stronger the next time we face him. That means that we have to step up our game, unless you want to get your ass kicked?"

"Well, it's not exactly the first thing on my to-do list."

"See? That's why we have to keep training!"

Blake groaned. "Listen, bro, if you keep this up, I swear you're going to land yourself in the hospital. It's not healthy! Ever hear of the phrase, 'all things in moderation?'"

Hunter stood up and walked across the room, then spun around to look at his brother. "I doubt that's going to happen. Sensei has to be pushing us this hard for a reason."

The Navy Thunder Ranger didn't meet Hunter's gaze. He searched around the room for answer, something to give him some sort of leverage with his brother's dead-set will. "Just answer me this: Would you rather be in the hospital, incapacitated, before or after the battle?"

"I'm not going to end up in the hospital!" Hunter exclaimed, practically drowning in his denial. He never was good at admitting he was wrong. "The training will do good, trust me."

"Hunter, remember what Sensei Amino use to tell us? You have to maintain a balance in life, and right now you definitely don't have that. If you keep this up, I promise you bro, you will be in the hospital before we even get the chance to fight!"

The elder of the two was quickly running out of reasons and comebacks. "You're paranoid, dude."

"If you just tone down your training, you'll be fine. Why can't you see that?"

Hunter clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. He wanted to be prepared, to be able to kick Nikko's sorry butt when the time came, to be able to save Alexandra. Why couldn't Blake see _that_? "If I 'tone down my training,' I know that I'll be in the hospital after the fight."

"At least after the fight Alexandra will be safe."

That one hit a nerve. Actually it hit more than nerve; it hit a deep chord in Hunter's heart. Not wanting to lash out at anyone besides the enemy, Hunter threw himself down into the futon and turned his back to his brother. He tried to sleep, though it was kind of hard to do that with someone staring at you.

Blake hadn't realized he said the words until they were out of his mouth and putting his foot up his ass. His mouth tried to form words that would attempt to mend the blow he knew he'd dealt Hunter, but nothing came. So, he turned around and, figuratively speaking, hobbled to kitchen on one leg (as the other was preoccupied with another part of his body) to search for the tea bags.

* * *

Lothor sat on his throne in the bridge, apparently in deep thought. Zurgane had brought him a bottle of wine, but it sat unopened next to him. Nikko came in and opened it, feeling that no form of alcohol should ever go to waste.

"What's going through that practically empty head of yours?" Nikko asked, knowing that Lothor wouldn't really be listening to what he said.

"What?" Lothor looked up and was surprised to find Nikko. "I, uh, was thinking just how to go about destroying the Rangers, whether to do it on the ground, in the Zords…"

Nikko resisted laughter. "You are lying to the expert liar."

The much older evil space ninja glared. "All right, I was wondering about Kutar. Earlier he seemed quite…"

"Strange? Odd? Out of touch with reality?" Nikko supplied.

"All of those work." Lothor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But, that's not what I mean. There seemed to be a struggle, like he was fighting for control of his body."

Nikko paused mid-sip. "Fighting for control of his body? With what?"

"That's what worries me," Lothor replied. "We don't know just what he's battling with. Regardless of what it is, he's unreliable."

Zurgane decided to put himself in the conversation. "But, he's the only one who knows how to finish the powers, sir. Even if he is unreliable, we're stuck with him."

Lothor groaned as he realized the general was right. "Activate that surveillance camera in his room, then, if you're such a genius, Zurgane. My trust with him has ended."

"Yes, sir," the general said and left to do the task.

As Lothor stood up and started pacing, Nikko stared at the morpher sitting on his left wrist. He knew that it wasn't all that different from the one the Rangers wore, and that concerned him. If they looked similar, did that mean the powers were based from the same source? Or did Kutar just emulate the Rangers' powers? Both were possible. He had to find out, because the possibilities made him quiver with excitement, and would make the three years of torment worth the while.

* * *

Hunter tossed and turned on the futon, lost in a tumultuous sleep. Images floated through his mind, but he couldn't hold on to any of them. Numerous voices played in the background, but he couldn't catch the words. Everything was a blur, until at last he firmly grasped one of the images. It was the only one solid and stable enough for him to reach.

His mind's eye stared at it for a long time, trying to discern it amongst the mass confusion that was his head. Finally the vague image cleared to form something real and distinct. It was of a thin, lithe figure curled up on a bed, arms tightly clutched around its midsection. It remained silent, staring blankly ahead. If Hunter couldn't figure out what or who it was, he was given an answer when he noticed the long, silky black hair covering the figure's face.

_Alex_, he thought. But it wasn't the same person he knew. Something was different about her. Something had changed since the last time he had seen that face. He couldn't quite but his finger on it, because there was no physical manifestation of it. He just _felt_ something was wrong, that something had happened to her. He didn't like that feeling.

For the longest moments of time, it seemed, he watched her just lie there. She hardly moved or did anything, not even shuffle around on the bed. Until now, he hadn't thought it was possible for any human being to be that still for that long.

Then, she shifted. Her head moved ever so slightly, inclined just barely towards the entrance to the room. Hunter realized that he heard the sound of almost nonexistent footsteps coming down the hallway. The whisper of the steps made it evident that the person was a ninja, and a damned good one, too. This was no novice walking down the corridor of Lothor's ship. Being that, Hunter had a bad feeling of who it was.

The door's slid open to reveal the exact person he was thinking of, much to his dismay: Nikko. He stalked into the room, looking quite the arrogant asshole that Hunter held him to be. His gaze passed over the room a few times, as if he was checking to make sure nothing was amiss. He stopped at the bed, and a scandalous grin crossed his face. If Hunter had thought it possible, he would've jumped through this invisible barrier and throttled Nikko on the spot. The look he was giving Alexandra was not one that pleased him.

"Good to see you haven't escaped," Nikko said, his eyes never once leaving Alexandra. "Not like you had anywhere to go, eh?" He sat down next to her and began softly stroking her cheek. It was sick watching him pretend to care for her. Maybe he did actually care, but the fact didn't lessen Hunter's hatred for him.

The most amazing thing was, Alexandra didn't move. She didn't shudder, flinch, or react in any way, shape, or form. It was almost as if she was immune to his touch. But Hunter knew that wasn't the case. She was probably just so far away from the world, so deeply embedded in her own mind, to notice what was going on. That fact hurt the most. Every last bit of him wanted to find a way into that room, stab Nikko just as he had stabbed him, and then make off with Alexandra. Too bad the world didn't work that way.

Suddenly, Nikko dropped any pretenses and pulled Alexandra out of her fetal position. Her head remained facing the wall, but that didn't seem to concern the dark ninja in the slightest. He straddled her hips, and his grin widened. As his hands began roving her body, the image went black.

Hunter's mental scream carried over into reality as he shot up from his futon. As his breathing slowly normalized, his mind was flying. So that was what making Alexandra put so much restraint in her voice when he had that telepathic conversation with her. She had been trying to hide the fact that Nikko was hurting her. His hands balled into fists, clenching and unclenching almost rhythmically as the many forms of cruel torture formed in his mind. One of them even ended with Nikko's head on a pole in the middle of his living room.

If his resolve had waned for any reason before, there was no chance that it would now. His drive to train harder, become stronger, and beat the living hell out of both Lothor and Nikko strengthened to a height he had never thought possible. That one scene had pushed him over the edge, and there was no turning back.

He stood up and kicked his futon out of the main walking area of the living room. He pushed the coffee table as far up against the couch as possible, and then returned to the center of the room. There was no way he was going back to sleep, so he did the only thing he could do that didn't involve teleporting onto Lothor's ship and attempt a rescue: run through some katas.

* * *

Blake woke up the next morning feeling extremely sore and definitely not ready to go through another day of Sensei's training regimen. He slowly sat up and winced as he felt his back pop in a few places. Getting out of bed was a challenge, because almost every part of his body was screaming with every move he made. By the grace of some sick, strange, sadistic god he made it to the kitchen. As he started up some tea, he realized that his brother hadn't been in the living room.

"Where could he be?" he asked the empty kitchen. He looked out to see the futon kicked aside, the coffee table pushed against the couch, and no sign of Hunter. He groaned, both from frustration and the fact that a pain in his lower back had just kicked up.

There was only one other possible place his brother could be, and that meant that Blake had to actually get dressed and teleport over there. He couldn't just lie in bed and pretend to be dead. Oh, no, never. He had to go stop his brother from going insane.

* * *

It was strange being at Ninja Ops at seven o'clock in the morning, Blake observed. It was quiet and almost serene, save for the heavy breathing and loud yells coming from the training area in the back. The Navy Thunder Ranger rolled his eyes. Did Hunter listen to anything he said last night?

Cam was walking out of a hallway that probably led off to the personal quarters. He looked at Blake suspiciously. "I'm trying to play dead. What are you doing here? And what's all this noise out here?"

Blake pointed towards the training area, and then recognition dawned across Cam's face. He sighed and headed in that direction, Blake not far behind him.

When they entered the room, Hunter was hard at work, having a little too much fun with a punching bag. He was probably imagining it as Nikko.

"Do you mind telling me what you're doing here this early? Do you want Dad to intensify our already extreme regimen?" Cam asked.

Hunter finished his routine with a nicely executed spin kick to the punching bag's midsection. He looked at his brother and fellow Ranger. "I'm just working out any kinks in my body yesterday's training might have left behind."

"Bull," Cam said pointedly. "If there any kinks, they're in your brain. Why aren't you sleeping like everybody else?" He could feel Blake glaring at him. "All right, like everybody else is supposed to be," he amended.

"All right. I'm getting a head start on training today. You know, prepping myself for whatever Sensei's going to dish out. I don't want to end up half-dead by the end of the day," Hunter answered, looking both Blake and Cam right in the eye.

Neither backed down.

Blake glared at his brother. "Dude, if I I've said it once--"

"Then you've only said it twice--"

"You've got to stop training so hard. You are going to land yourself in the hospital."

Hunter groaned. "Fine? You want me to rest? I'll rest!" He sat down on the floor against a wall and started to meditate.

The youngest one sighed in frustration, and then stormed out of the room. "It's hopeless," he muttered as he brushed past Cam.

Cam shook his head. "You know that's not what he meant." He sat down across the room from the Crimson Thunder Ranger. "Go back home and get some more sleep. Your body will thank you for it, trust me."

"I'm fine," Hunter protested. "Besides, even if I went home, it's not like I could sleep. Feeling bruised and broken in reality is still a hell of a lot better than being inside my head."

"Whatever you say." Cam shifted into a meditating position. "Just don't pass out in the middle of training, all right? Then even Dad would send you home."

"I won't pass out." Then, Hunter closed his eyes and began meditating, hoping his thoughts wouldn't be filled with the visions from last night.

* * *

The other Rangers walked into the training area a couple hours later to find both Cam and Hunter still meditating on the floor. Neither had moved a muscle since they started. Dustin was convinced they were both asleep, until one of them started talking.

"Glad to see you finally showed up," Cam said. "You get a call from Blake?"

Shane jumped out of his skin. "Uh, yeah. I think all of us were planning on playing dead today. Too bad we didn't get to."

Cam opened his eyes and pointed to Hunter. "He was here at seven. I swear he's gone crazy. Well, crazier than usual."

"I resent that," Hunter said, not opening his eyes.

"Well at least he's sitting down, and not trying to kill himself," Blake muttered. Then, he raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Come on guys, Sensei wants to run through a simulation today."

"Great, I love simulations," Dustin commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Whenever he heard the word he always remembered the atrocity that was their first assignment to try and grasp the true idea of teamwork.

Tori frowned. She too was reminded of their early days as Rangers. "Knowing Sensei, it's probably more endurance training."

Cam smirked. "Let's hope that this time Shane remembers to defeat the Kelzacks first, then go after the scroll."

"Hey!" Shane exclaimed, feigning hurt pride. "It almost worked."

"Yeah, sure."

"What?"

Hunter could only grin. Well, at least being a Ranger meant you never got bored, even if it did mean those you love the most are put within an inch of their lives and their sanity. "Come on guys, let's go in there before Sensei starts doing that thing with his nose again."

Shane spun around. "Hey! That's my line!"

"Not anymore, Hawk Boy," Hunter replied, his grin widening.

Blake shook his head and watched the scene. If there was something wrong with his brother, he sure knew how to hide it from everyone else.

* * *

"Man, you are so lucky you aren't dead right now."

Hunter shrugged off the comment. It seemed that all day he'd been receiving death threats from Blake. At first, he'd try to prove his brother wrong, but the younger one always seemed a step ahead of him. So, that made it clear that denouncing the threats was futile in the highest sense of the word. Instead he ignored. The strategy was working thus far.

"Damn it, bro, for once will you stop and listen to me? If you don't give yourself a break, it wouldn't surprise me if you end up in the ICU before this is over. You've got to stop. You're doing more harm than good."

He snapped. He wasn't sure why, but something inside him shifted. "You don't know what you're talking about! You haven't seen the stuff I've seen, or been through what I've had to deal with."

Blake narrowed his eyes. What was going on that he didn't know about? "Maybe if you would tell me--"

"You know what, man, just forget I said anything." Hunter took in a deep breath and then let it out, and with it went some of his anger and frustration. He glanced towards the kitchen. "Are you gonna make that tea or what?"

The younger one stared at his brother for a moment longer. He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen. Well, at least this time he had both feet on the ground. He searched around the upper cabinets for some tea bags and found a box he hadn't realized was there before. He carefully pulled it out and examined the label. To his surprise, it was a box of sleeping pills. Why would they have sleeping pills in their kitchen cabinet? He didn't recall ever buying them or having the need to buy them.

He checked the expiration date on the bottom of the box, and apparently they were still good. So, he took out two cups (one with dark red designs, the other with navy blue ones; this of course was an unconscious decision) and put two pills at the bottom of the cup with dark red designs. If there was any time that Hunter needed an intervention, it was now. The only other time he could think of that was worse than this was when Hunter was under an alien mind warp and they were all trapped on Portico Island. But at least then Blake knew that the spell could be broken. Now…the hopes of that were very, very slim.

There was silence coming from the living room. Blake leaned back to see Hunter just sitting on the couch, staring idly at the floor. He would've killed to be able to see into his brother's head. It would make this whole ordeal easier, that's for sure. He shook his head and went back to making the tea.

Hunter could hear his brother in the kitchen. Why did he always have trouble finding the tea bags? If they were always in the same spot, what was hard about retrieving them? He shook off the pointless thoughts. Even during such a traumatic and strange time, his mind acted no different. Thoughts always went left and right, appearing and disappearing at will. He was starting to hate that.

After the kettle had given an earsplitting whistle, and some bangs as Blake scrambled to stop the noise, the Navy Thunder Ranger walked out to the living room and handed Hunter his cup. He hoped the boiling water had dissolved the pills, and if not, that the dark color of the tea that was seeping into the water would cover them.

To his relief, Hunter didn't look at the cup as he stirred around the tea bag to get the flavor spread out. The tea was pretty sweet on its own, so it really didn't need any sugar. Blake had added some honey just in case.

"Ya know, I think Sensei has started to notice that you're going through some kind of psychotic episode," he said, continuing to watch his brother.

"It's not a psychotic episode," Hunter insisted. He checked his tea and dared to take a sip. He made a face as the hot liquid hit his tongue and the roof of his mouth. He definitely hadn't waited long enough for it to cool off. "I'm just working harder than usual."

Instead of retorting, Blake let him win. He figured it would be easier if he didn't do anything that would make Hunter suspicious.

Of course, this plan of "just taking it" immediately roused curiosity within Hunter. Since when did his brother so easily drop subjects or give up on his tirades? "All right, what's going on? What are you planning?"

Blake jumped. Damn, how _did_ he do that? "I'm not planning anything." He tried not to look nervous, but he still had the feeling that Hunter could see through him anyway. As long as he didn't discover what was hidden in his teacup, everything would be fine.

Hunter raised an eyebrow. Denial meant something was up. If he was trying to pull some kind of reverse psychology or whatever, then he was failing miserably. "Seriously, dude, what are you up to?"

"Nothing." Blake shifted. He hated being on the other end of the interrogation. He avoided looking Hunter in the face, knowing those ice blue eyes did dangerous things, like make just about anyone tell the truth through intimidation.

"Nothing," Hunter repeated. He shook his head and downed the rest of his tea, not really caring that it burned his tongue. He stood up and stared at his brother from across the room. "You can stop lying right now. Something is up, just tell me what it is."

Blake's mind raced to come up with an answer that wouldn't give away his plan but would also be partly true. Hunter wouldn't buy another lie. "I'm just tired of fighting, all right? If you want to keep training this hard, I'm not going to stop you. I just hope you don't expect me to drag you to the hospital when this is over."

"Will you stop insisting that I'm going to end up in the hospital?" Hunter yelled. Suddenly, he felt strange. His eyelids felt heavy, and the futon behind him was inviting. He fought the urge to fall over. Why was he tired all of a sudden?

The younger brother shrugged and watched as Hunter swayed on his feet. A smirk crossed his face, but he tried to hide it. Those must have been some pretty powerful sleeping pills. He'd have to check the milligram count later.

Hunter was definitely not happy about this sudden change in events. And now Blake was smirking? He narrowed his eyes and struggled to keep his footing. So this is what had been going on. His brother had drugged his drink. Well, didn't that make him feel special?

Blake got up from the couch and walked over to Hunter. His smirk turned into a grin, mostly because he could tell that his brother was about to fall over at any minute. So, he helped the process along.

With one light but forceful poke, Hunter collapsed back onto the futon. Blake's grin widened. "Night, bro." He went into the kitchen and checked the box for the sleeping pills. The milligram content was pretty high. _Hope it doesn't kill him_, he thought. With another shrug, he went into the linen closet, grabbed out a blanket, and tossed it over Hunter. There was a slight spring in his step as he walked back to his bedroom. The little brother had won.

* * *

Hunter woke up the next morning feeling rather groggy. Last night was a blur. He remembered arguing with Blake about something, drinking some tea, and then…nothing. His brain was in a fog. He hated not being able to think straight, not being able to control his mind.

"Another reason to hate Lothor," he muttered, as he was reminded of the alien mind warp and Lothor's deception towards him all those months ago. He had a feeling, though, that his current mental ailment had nothing to do with Lothor. Well, almost nothing.

He looked around the living room. It was empty, and there were no sounds coming from anywhere else in the apartment. That meant that either he was alone, or Blake was too dead to the world to care that he was awake. With a groan he sat up, and he finally noticed the cup sitting on the coffee table. The fog in his mind cleared a little, and he began to remember the details of last night. He glared at the cup and began the arduous task of standing up.

The task turned out to be not quite as arduous as he had previously thought. Something about getting a full night's sleep and then some had loosened up his muscles, and he almost felt back to normal. All right, so maybe Blake had a point, but that didn't mean he had the right to go around slipping sleeping pills into his friends' drinks at will.

While contemplating what method to use when killing Blake, Hunter showered and got dressed. He decided to forego drinking or eating anything from the kitchen, just to be on the safe side. He teleported out to Ninja Ops to find everyone already there and hard at work.

Shane and Cam were sparring, Tori was practicing a new kata, and Blake was helping Dustin with some shadow battle techniques, which didn't change much between the two ninja arts. Hunter blinked. How long had he slept?

"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Cam said, grinning.

"What took you so long, dude? We thought you were dead or something," Dustin commented after casually evading a hit from Blake, successfully utilizing a shadow battle move.

Blake didn't say anything. He only smirked. This had to be a form of blackmail, Hunter mused. "Just overslept," was the reply the Crimson Thunder Ranger gave. He took a spot across the room from Tori and fell into a defensive position. He started through a kata he had learned when he first started attending the Thunder Ninja Academy. He wasn't sure why he chose it, or even why he used it so often. It always stuck out in his mind, which was probably due to the fact that he had fallen on his first attempt to do it, and the face of the person who had helped him stand was one he would never forget.

He remembered her long, silky jet-black hair fluttering in the gentle autumn wind, the smirk on her lips when she went to help him up. Sunlight had glinted off the onyx and silver amulet around her neck, the light color a dire contrast to the nondescript black of her ninja uniform. Each of these details, and many more, fueled every step, punch, and kick in the kata. At this point, memories were his lifeblood, memories of happiness, anger, regret, and sometimes hate. The latter usually involved Nikko and his senseless antics.

By the time he had come back to reality, he realized that he must've gone through the kata at least three times, because everyone else was doing something completely different. Hunter decided to start up another kata, figuring the change of pace would keep his concentration. Before he could, however, his vision faded for a moment. He shook his head. For some reason, he felt more tired than he should have.

His behavior caught Sensei's attention. "Are you all right, Hunter?" A look of concern crossed the guinea pig's face. His words, of course, called him to everyone else's interest.

If there was anything Hunter was known for outside of his ninja skills, it was being stubborn. He would eternally deny any charge against him that he didn't want to admit was true, most especially in cases where it was in his best interest to do so. "I'm fine," he answered. "Must have come off that last move funny."

Sensei furrowed his eyebrows. He could feel that something wasn't right here.

Hunter could feel everyone watching him, their eyes burning holes into his back and sides. He felt like he was under a microscope. He sat down for a few moments to appease his onlookers. He hated being stared at. He thought for a second. He was being seriously negative today. Then again, he didn't have a whole lot to be positive about, so why should he lie to himself about it?

With a deep breath, he stood up again and got into the ready position for the next kata. This one was one he'd learned from Sensei not long after he joined the team, but there were still a few kinks to work out. That's what training was for.

It started out fine. He was slightly off in the transition between a couple moves, but other than that it was good. Slowly things started to deteriorate from there. His punches began to veer off course by a couple inches (a definite danger sign), his blocks weren't quite meeting the mark before he moved on (something that, in battle, would've gotten him killed), and kicks lacked their normal power and height.

Blake noticed it first. He wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't look good.

Most of the others weren't looking closely enough. Cam saw the inaccuracy of Hunter's punches and almost blind execution of his kicks. Normally he would've blamed it on poor technique, but he knew well that Hunter was better than that.

Hunter finally admitted the glitch when one of his steps faltered completely, and he almost fell. He hadn't fallen in the middle of kata since he first attended the Thunder Ninja Academy, so he knew that it wasn't his skill that was failing. There was something physically wrong with him. He felt dizzy and out of breath. His vision faded in and out again. He tried to steady himself on the nearby wall, but his hand slipped, and it almost cost him his footing. His stomach twisted into knots and what little vision he had spun.

A female voice called in his ears as his gaze started to fade out. The last thing he saw before the pitch black darkness was Blake's concerned face running closer as shouts erupted in Ninja Ops. He fell back and hit the floor with a thud.

Blake knelt by his brother's side. He shook Hunter violently, looking for some kind of reaction. "Bro, wake up!" He wasn't sure whether to start crying or be seriously angry. It was probably a little bit of both.

Tori was on the other side. She grabbed Hunter's wrist and was relieved to find that there was a pulse. "He's still alive."

"He merely passed out, it looks like," Cam said, shaking his head.

A form of denial entered Blake's head. He continued to shake Hunter in hopes that it would be enough to revive him. "Come on, bro, shake it off!" Those were the same words he'd said to Hunter on Portico Island when he was still under the alien mind warp. It hadn't worked then…and it still didn't, apparently.

Shane put a hand on Blake's shoulder. "We've got to get him to a hospital. He'll be all right, dude. Don't worry about it."

Reluctantly, the Navy Thunder Ranger stood up. Dustin and Cam hoisted Hunter up and carried him out of Ninja Ops on their shoulders. Shane followed them. The two blue Rangers stayed behind for a moment longer.

"He'll be all right," Tori repeated, taking Blake's hand into hers.

A small, but genuine, smile showed itself on his face. "I know he will."


	6. The Proposition

Author's Note: This chapter has taken so many twists and turns in terms of development I don't know where to begin. Originally, it was going to be longer with more Hunter angst and brooding, until I realized that really wasn't much for Hunter to brood over anymore! So, I had to switch tracks, which brought me to the current plot point that I'm at now. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: See _Chapter One_.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody  
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Six: _"The Proposition"_

Blurry shapes filled Hunter's vision as he slowly opened his eyes. His head was a mess, and it was made worse by the fact that he had no idea where he was or how he got there.

"Dude, I think he's coming to," a voice that sounded an awful lot like Shane's said.

"What was your first indication, Sherlock?" another voice shot back, this one seeming to be Cam's, if only by the snappy comment.

_…The hell_, he thought. The blurry shapes sharpened a little, turning into five heads, but there still were no faces. Even if they were people he knew, that didn't explain where he was. The colors surrounding the heads weren't the dark tones of Ninja Ops, but bright, cold, unfriendly whites. Hunter groaned slightly. If he was where he thought he was, he was going to get a huge lecture from his brother.

"Yep, he's awake!"

The blond could only identify that voice as Dustin's. He wanted to shake his head, but it felt too heavy to move. Great, so everyone was here to revel in his embarrassment.

"Should we poke him?" Hunter wanted to glare at the owner of the voice, who had to be Tori due to the feminine quality of her voice.

"I think he's trying to play dead."

"Yeah, well, it's not working 'cause his heart monitor is still working."

"I definitely think we should poke him."

"Poking him won't do anything."

"We should probably leave him alone, so he can get more sleep."

Hunter was grateful for this last suggestion, which he knew came from Blake. The rest of the team, however, didn't seem to agree.

"I think he got enough sleep while he was unconscious."

"Come on! Let me poke him! Just once."

The figures looming above him were made clear to the point where he could tell who each one was. Cam and Shane were on the left side of his bed, Blake and Tori on his right, and Dustin was at the end of the bed. He still didn't feel he could speak, no matter how much he wanted to so he could tell Tori off and send sharp insults to everyone but Blake.

"Nobody's poking anybody," Cam said, trying to play the peacekeeper.

Of course, everyone then proceeded to poke each other. Tori started it first, then Dustin, and then Shane. The only ones who didn't participate were Cam and Blake, who were both shaking their heads.

"Guys," Hunter managed to croak. "Shut up."

Everyone turned their attention to the "ailing" Crimson Thunder Ranger. "Great choice of first words after recovering from a state of unconsciousness," Cam said.

All Hunter could do was send him a glare. He didn't have enough energy for much else. He was starting to wonder if he should've listened to Blake. Then again, he was known for his stubborn streaks.

It wasn't long before a nurse came in and shooed the crowd away. The only one who was left was Blake. He helped Hunter sit up and grabbed the pitcher of water on a table across the room. "Here, drink this bro."

The older brother took the beverage gladly. The cool liquid healed his sore throat a little. "Sorry." He still could only manage one to two word phrases, but it was enough for now.

Blake waved the apology away. "Don't worry about it. The only thing that's important is that you're okay. The doctor said you could go home tomorrow."

After drinking more of the water, Hunter felt a little more able to speak. "Tomorrow? I feel like I couldn't move for the next two weeks, even if someone paid me."

"What if the currency was Alexandra's safety?" Blake asked, knowing exactly the response it would rouse from his brother, even if he was half-dead.

Hunter felt a surge of energy, but his body didn't follow through. Just the mention of her name got him riled up, but in a good way. It made him want to get up, even though he probably didn't have the strength to move an inch. "Any news?"

"You've only been out for a day, dude," his brother replied. "No, nothing new has happened. As far as we know, Lothor's still short of a plan."

"I highly doubt that."

* * *

Alexandra woke up slowly. Nikko wasn't there, a fact that had her thanking whatever gods would take enough pity on her to listen. She carefully sat up, her entire body screaming in pain. The fact that she hadn't really moved in the past week or so, combined with Nikko's treatment of her, made every tiny shift almost unbearable. She didn't even attempt to stand. 

She cast a sweeping glance around the room, and noticed something strange. Realizing that ever since she came to Blue Bay Harbor looking for Hunter, things in her life had always been strange, she made no big deal of it. Then, of course, her mortal curiosity got the better, and she investigated it.

"It" was an ornate box sitting on her desk. She didn't dare open it, so instead she gazed in fascination at the carvings on the outside. Many of characters were Japanese, characters she would know in her sleep.

The six symbols etched on the object were the same that were on her necklace…the ones that represented the blessings her ancestors had been given centuries ago. Why in the hell would Lothor have a box with _her_ family's blessings on it? That didn't make any sense.

"The man is out of his evil space ninja mind," Alexandra said to herself. Something about that box, though, intrigued her. While every drop of common sense and experience from watching science fiction and horror movies were telling her not to touch the stupid box, she did the opposite. She laid one careful hand on it, intending to open it. She never got the chance.

* * *

Kutar made sure everything was in order as he prepared to leave. He had left a set of instructions for Zurgane to follow to complete the project. For quite a few days he had attempted to fight the voice in his head, to no avail. So, he was stepping away from his project. He wasn't giving in; he just couldn't fight it anymore. His work would be done even if he weren't there to oversee it. That much he was sure of. 

_Lothor is as much a failure as every other evil to hit Earth with a monster_, the voice told him. _Your plan will fail._

"Shut up, you old fool," he muttered.

_Who are you calling old, _anyak-edimerts?

The Chronitian insult went right over his head. He didn't even listen, really. Though, it was hard to ignore a voice inside your mind. "I have to get out of here," he said to himself.

_It won't help you._

"Shut up!" he yelled, trying with all his might to expel the presence from his consciousness. "I will do this, you will have nothing to say about it!"

This was exactly why he was vacating the premises. He couldn't even get his bags packed without having an argument with his "other self," as he'd come to call it. Fighting for every step, he made his way over to the control panel on the other side of his room. He pressed the sequence of buttons necessary for teleportation, and felt relief as the white beam of light took him out of Lothor's ship.

When he landed, he was on the familiar ground of Chronite. Things were as they always were: quiet. He was just inside the palace, and the spirit inside him seemed almost placated by the fact that he had returned here. So, with an ease he hadn't felt in a good while, he walked to his throne room, nodding to guards he knew and scowling at ones who were just idly standing by not doing their jobs.

When he reached the throne room, he found a nice surprise. His daughter Kintara was already there, seemingly waiting for him.

"Where've you been, _retap_?" she asked. She looked a great deal like her father, with the same blonde hair and the same blue eyes, though hers were considerably less cold. "You didn't even leave a note. I even went so far as to visit my friends on Pheados to scan for you, but they picked up nothing."

This daughterly concern roused Kutar's other self's attention. The warring for control began again, but Kutar managed to say, "My previous wheareabouts are none of your concern."

Kintara watched her father carefully. Being Chronitian and a natural telepath, she had keen powers of observation. She could tell something was not right with her parent. "If you were off to see a woman, I don't care. Just as long as you tell me where you were, _retap_."

The war reached a new height. As much as Kutar may have fought, his other self eventually won out. "I was on Earth," was all he could say before Kutar reclaimed control.

The Chronitian princess looked confused. "What could you have been doing on Earth? Was it some kind of mission-?"

"All you wanted to know is _where_ I was. The rest is for me to know and you to never find out," Kutar interrupted. "Are we clear?"

She winced. She had heard that her father had malicious tendencies, but he never acted that way towards her. Slowly she nodded, and then turned and left the room, holding back her emotions as best as possible.

Inside the throne room, Kutar put his head in his hands, fighting the tears that his other self longed to shed. "You won't win," he said quietly.

The voice in his mind didn't respond.

* * *

Lothor stormed out about the bridge of his ship. "Where in Attum's name is Kutar?" 

Nikko watched the scene, an eyebrow raised. "Attum?"

"Quiet!" Lothor yelled. "Will somebody tell me where that idiot king is?"

"He left, sir," Zurgane said, his voice shaking. "He wrote this note, but didn't say where he was going."

The evil space ninja snatched the piece of paper out of his general's hand. He read it feverishly, his eyes zipping back and forth across the paper. "That moron!" he exclaimed. "He left the making of the powers in your care!" He shook his head, and turned his attention back to the real matter at hand. "Where could he have gone?"

"Back to his home planet, I imagine," Nikko answered calmly. "Maybe he realized that things aren't going to go his way, so he went back home. Sounds like something a coward like him would do."

His statement definitely did not please Lothor. "Insolence! We had an agreement! He was to finish the powers, and then he was free to go. I'm working on a schedule here!" He slammed his fist into one of the columns. "Zurgane! Teleport Kutar here now! I will not be treated and ignored like an underling!"

Zurgane nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned around and headed for the communications quarters, the easiest place to find someone.

Meanwhile, Nikko watched Lothor seeth with a smug grin. He actually was enjoying watching the man lose his mind over such a simple thing as an ally's disappearance. Even when he was sent a glare from said evil ninja, he was nonplussed. Very few things scared him now.

It wasn't long before Zurgane returned, triumphant of course. "Kutar has been returned to the ship, sir, and a forcefield was placed around his room. He can only move about the ship when you allow it."

Lothor nodded in approval. "Excellent. Now, get him down to the work bay and give me a progress report. We'll be needing those powers soon."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Back on Earth, night had fallen over Blue Bay Harbor. The hospital was silent, and Hunter's room was nearly deserted save for him and Blake. His younger brother was sleeping awkwardly in a chair. Hunter had tried to get him to go home and sleep in a proper bed, but Blake wasn't hearing a word of it. So, he had sighed, laid back in his bed (which was neither proper, nor inviting in terms of sleep), and stared up the ceiling resignedly. 

It had to have been around midnight when Blake stirred from his slumber. "Bro, you still awake?" he asked the darkness.

Hunter inclined his head toward his brother. "Yeah, dude, I'm up. What's going on?"

"I was having this freaky dream," Blake answered. He rubbed his face with his hand and shifted in his chair. He was now wondering if he should've taken Hunter up on his suggestion earlier. "I don't know if it was real or not, but it was freaky as all get out."

The blond wasn't surprised. After all the strange visions he'd ended up having in the past few weeks, anyone else having them wasn't all that shocking. "I must've given off some kind of vibe while I was unconscious," he laughed. "What was it about?"

There were a few long moments before Blake spoke. "I think it was that Kutar guy. It looked like he was, I don't know, crying."

Despite the fact that he didn't have a whole lot of energy, and his body was still stiff from sleeping for a day straight, Hunter shot up in bed. "What? You had a dream with Kutar?" His mind reeled. What in the name of all that is ninja was going on here?

"Yeah, but I can't explain it." Blake sighed heavily. "The guy was actually crying. I think he was on Lothor's ship, 'cause the walls looked familiar."

"Are you sure it was Kutar?"

Blake was silent again, pondering his dream rather than immediately answering his brother. "It was definitely him. I saw his eyes. It was just like that day at the track. Except, there was something different this time. I couldn't tell you what, though."

A light chuckle sounded from Hunter's lips. "You think it was 'cause he was crying?" He slowly lay back down, wincing a bit as he did so. "What would make an evil king hell bent on destroying the entire Good Universe as we know it cry? Unless of course the guy has unresolved issues or something."

"Dude, what person in the struggle of good and evil doesn't have issues?" Blake wondered. "Just look at Lothor. According to Cam's story, he always had to play second fiddle to his brother, and he got tired of it, so he turned evil to gain attention. This Kutar guy has to have some kind of deal. We all do."

Hunter took in a deep breath, considering his brother's words. As he thought more about said evil king, and what his issues might be, he was drawn back to that day at the motocross track. Kutar's eyes had been so cold that they actually burned into him. Yet, now that he thought about it, there was something behind them, something he hadn't noticed then. There was almost a pleading look behind the ice, like a cry for help. It was possible, though, that he was just imagining these things now, to take his mind off of other matters.

"I wonder if his issues involve his wife," Blake said suddenly. "You know, the story Sensei told us when we first saw him. He killed his wife, remember?"

Yes, Hunter did remember. The story had stuck with him for some reason, though it had certainly been on the back burner of his thought process since all the events with Alexandra. "It probably has everything to do with her. I mean, from what Sensei told us, it sounded like everything _started_ at that whole thing."

The Navy Thunder Ranger shifted around to stare up at the ceiling. "I wouldn't doubt it for a second, dude. My question is, though, why the hell did I have the dream? I'm not exactly the first one in the group to have visions involving what our evil counterparts are up to." He gave a meaningful glance to his older sibling.

The blond felt the stare, and he shook his head. "Hell if I know, dude. Like I said, I probably gave you some weird vibes when I was unconscious. Just go with it."

Blake couldn't help a laugh. "All right, all right, I get it." He continued looking at his brother, but there was something else in his mind this time. "Speaking of visions, have you had any of Alex lately?"

"One," Hunter replied quietly. He closed his eyes and summoned the image that had driven him right into his hospital bed. He clenched his fists, but tried to keep his emotions from raging out of control again. "I found out what was going on with her on Lothor's ship." He breathed heavily in and out; mostly it was an attempt to calm his anger at the next word he was about to utter. "Nikko."

That was all he needed to say. Blake got the idea instantly. Just at the statement, he wanted to throw their former classmate against a wall and use him as a punching bag. He could only wonder what was going through Hunter's mind.

Hunter was thinking of an entirely different scenario. Rather than a punching bag, Nikko was one big dartboard, the middle of his eyes being, of course, the bull's eye. And with a big supply of darts that looked remarkably like miniature versions of his Thunder Staff, the target wasn't that hard to hit.

"I swear, when we get down to that battle with Nikko, I am not leaving until Nikko is bleeding to death, mortally wounded, and drawing his last breath," Hunter said suddenly, not realizing he was vocalizing his thought. "But only if I'm the one that gets to deal the last blow."

In the darkness, and in the safety of that darkness, Blake winced. He recalled memories of Hunter under the alien mind warp, realizing his determination to kill was the same now as it was then, only now it was voluntary. At least this time it was aimed at the right person.

* * *

Kutar's inner fight had raging again once he had been rather unceremoniously teleported back to Lothor's ship. The man on the outside was happy to be back, to see his plan put in motion on a more personal level. The voice inside his head, however, was furious. He fought tooth and nail, but the one in control didn't give in, not this time. 

_You have no power over me_, his other self claimed with a determination that would discourage many a man. Kutar, however, was not counted amongst that number.

He actually laughed at the voice's statement. "Please. If I have no power over you, then why are you still stuck inside while I'm out here, in complete control?"

The voice growled. _You found me at a time when I was weak from betrayal. I was foolish enough to trust you, to not erect proper defenses against your poisoning. But, I have won control before, and I will do it again. Just give me a reason._

"You won for a moment," he laughed. "But trust me, you will not do it again. I have ways of locking you out forever, fool. You just give _me_ a reason."

His other self didn't seem to take this threat seriously, mostly because he knew it wasn't true. _Things are never that simple. Your head has been in the clouds for far too long if you think they are. It won't be long now before I gain control again…for good, this time._

"He will be dead before then," Kutar retorted. Just the mere threat of his other self having command of the body made him angry. It wasn't something he was going to allow.

A pain ripped through his already tired body. He groaned and fell to his knees, clutching himself in an attempt to stop the pain. All right…so maybe his other self had more power than he gave him credit for, but that wasn't the point.

In this weakened state, his other self had just enough of an advantage to officially take over. For a long time he didn't move. He was too busy readjusting to being in control. Then, he started by experimentally flexing his fingers. It felt good to be able to actually _feel_ his limbs move at his command.

Slowly he stood up, surveying the room. His eyes had changed from their normal ice blue to a softer, less threatening shade. To finally be able to actually see, with his own eyes, the sights around him was a feeling he wouldn't take for granted anymore.

After many more long moments of enjoying the new power he held over his body, Kutar started sorting through the clutter of papers on his desk. At the same time he was marveling at how scatterbrained his darker half was; he found (with some difficulty) the documents he was looking for.

The sketches gave a graphical display of the morphers that "he" was making for Lothor. The powers for those morphers were, as yet, incomplete, but it wouldn't be long before they were finished. There was nothing he could do to stop that process now. However, he wouldn't let the new users of those powers harm anyone else. There was a way he could help with that.

He set the schematics down and drew another paper from the pile. This was a list of specifications, a gold mine to anyone sitting behind a power management console and was also up against anyone holding the powers that Lothor was about to unleash. He lay back in his bed, reading the list as thoroughly as possible. He couldn't believe how much his more sinister side had managed to hide from him, even though they shared the same mind. He should've known all this already! He sighed and continued reading through the list.

"No use living in the past," he muttered. He grinned at the sound of his voice. Yes, it did feel good to be strong enough to speak to the outside world again.

It wasn't long before he was tired and his eyes actually hurt from reading through the endless list. He set it down and got more comfortable in his bed. He knew the peace in his head wouldn't last long. He needed to get some real sleep if he was going to keep up the fight. Before drifting off, he set up some proper (though hardly enough to last for long) mental defenses to keep the uglier side of himself at bay.

As sleep was kind enough to bless his mind, he managed out one thought. This thought was something that would keep him strong, that would keep him from falling under the sway of ill influences again. King Kutar of Chronite was back, and there was nothing the side of evil could do about it.

* * *

Hunter had just gotten back from the hospital, and right now he was lying in his bed, staring idly up at the ceiling. Blake wouldn't let him sleep on the futon like he wanted to, but it didn't take him much arguing to realize that his brother wasn't going to give in on the issue. He had resignedly stayed silent while the Navy Thunder Ranger had shut his bedroom door and gone back out into the world, probably down to Ninja Ops where the others were. 

Probably due to his extended rest in the hospital, Hunter was in no mood to sleep, even though that's exactly what Blake had told him to do. The comforting fact was that Blake hadn't forced any more sleeping pills or anything on him. He was on that strange, sick, twisted, and rather uncomfortable verge between waking and rest; he was dead tired but he couldn't slip into the unconscious world of dreams and the occasional hellish nightmare. Of course, for him lately "occasional" was typically more often than not.

He let his thoughts drift away from him, thinking of nothing else besides a blank night sky. It was a meditation technique Sensei Omino had taught him when he was just barely old enough to grasp the concept of becoming a ninja. It hadn't failed him yet.

As his mind slowly became a black blanket of nothingness, he started to feel drowsy, and he had trouble focusing on the image. Finally, he might have a shot of getting some sleep.

Somewhere in the distance between the real world and his subconscious, he heard his morpher beep. With a groan he opened his eyes, his body feeling oddly sluggish. "What god decided not to like me today?" he muttered before picking up his morpher. "Yeah?"

Not surprisingly, it was Cam. "I know that Blake has given you a mandate of being confined to your bed, but you have to get down to Ninja Ops."

"Does Blake know you're asking me this?" Hunter wondered. He shook his head. "Why do you want me to be there? Dude, I don't even know if I have the energy to teleport."

Cam sighed. "Just get down here. And if you don't have the energy, I'll 'port you in from the supercomputer. Happy?"

"Fine, I'll be there," Hunter said. He cut off the connection and took in a deep breath. He was almost hoping that he wouldn't have the strength to get to Ninja Ops, so he could possibly go back to sleep. Alas, the world was not that kind. He teleported out of the room in a flash of crimson light.

* * *

The air in Ninja Ops was still, and there was complete silence, when Hunter landed inside. He looked around and saw that Cam was the only one there. "What's going on?" 

Cam waved him over to the computer. He brought up a screen that showed the area just outside the secret entrance. "We have a visitor," was all he said.

Hunter looked at him suspiciously. "Will you stop being a damned enigma? What the hell…?" He took notice of the image onscreen. Standing just inside the shadows of the tree line was a man, who looked oddly familiar. "Is that…Kutar?"

"Yeah," Cam replied. "Here's the weird part."

"You mean it gets weirder than the fact that an evil king is standing calmly at our doorstep?" Hunter half-asked, half-scoffed.

The Green Ranger nodded. "Apparently. I ran a scan, and the reading was different than last time. This time, the signature wasn't evil. That's why the alarms didn't go off."

"Are you telling me that the guy right now is technically good?" Hunter furrowed his eyebrows and resisted the urge to start pacing. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Since when has anything ever made sense?" Cam asked.

"Well, never," the Thunder ninja admitted. He sighed and sat down at the table, rubbing his temples to try to clear his mind. "So, what do we do?"

"First, you must consult your sensei," Sensei said from out of nowhere. His cart rolled into the main room. "And you must also gather everyone else here."

Cam shrugged. "It's a start." He started typing in the teleportation commands.

Hunter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Blake's gonna flip."

"Relax Hunter," Sensei reassured. "It is likely that the seriousness of the situation will outweigh your discretion."

The Crimson Thunder Ranger looked surprised. Did Sensei just tell him that he was going to weasel his way out of trouble here? While musing this thought, four people teleported into Ninja Ops.

"Some warning before you do that would still be nice, dude," Shane said. "We could've been in the middle of the mall or something."

"I checked your locations before teleporting you," Cam explained, smirking. "Besides, none of you had any real chance of being discovered."

Dustin shrugged. "Well, at least we landed okay this time. Last time was brutal."

Blake raised an eyebrow as he noticed Hunter. Rather than start yelling at him, which was what he wanted to do, he turned his attention to Cam. It's possible the trouble they were about to face was worse than Hunter ignoring his orders. "What's going on? You almost never teleport us randomly, so something huge has to be up."

"Kutar's hanging out not too far from the secret entrance," Cam said. "And-"

"What?" Tori exclaimed. "Why didn't you call us sooner? He could be thinking up some kind of scheme to kill us, and we're just sitting here?"

"You didn't let me finish." The samurai sighed. "Yes, Kutar is standing outside, but I don't think it's what it seems. I ran a scan, and evidently the guy isn't evil. Not right now at any rate. The energy reading I picked up earlier didn't match the one from the day at the track. Something's different about the guy."

Shane grinned. "You just can't figure out what?"

Cam turned in his chair and glared at the Red Wind Ranger.

"I think we should go out there," Hunter said suddenly, quietly.

Everyone in the room turned to him, quite surprised.

"What? Are you crazy?" Blake asked. "We don't know what he's planning! He could very well want us to go out there, unmorphed and unprepared, so he could kill us and get it over with! That way, he can conquer the world in a matter of days!"

Hunter didn't argue, but he didn't seem to be agreeing either.

"You know," Shane began hesitantly. "Hunter may have a point. I don't think this guy's out there to kill us. His energy reading would be evil if he was, right?"

Dustin looked thoughtful. "Yeah, but, what if it's something he can switch off and on? Or, what if he has a way to manipulate scanners or something?"

"If someone was manipulating the scanners, I'd know about it," Cam pointed out.

"I do not think Kutar is entirely dangerous right now," Sensei said. "It might be a good idea to go out and meet him. There is the possibility that he has left Lothor's service."

"Oh yeah, just like Choobo," Blake muttered.

"And Marah," Dustin concurred.

"When those two played the deception card, they were against two of us at the most. Kutar would be up against all of us; there's no way he could trick all of us at once," Hunter interjected. "Plus, something tells me he wouldn't be dumb enough to try it. Whatever has him out there, I doubt it has anything to do with fooling us into trusting him."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure about this?"

The blond ninja shrugged. "It's just a feeling, an instinct."

"Oh, yeah, that's reliable," the Yellow Wind Ranger said, rolling his eyes. "Again, I bring up the situation with Marah. I had an instinct that she was good remember? And then not long after she tried to kill me."

Cam rubbed his chin, considering both sides of the argument. "Actually Dustin, to be exact, you had an instinct that Marah had some good inside her, not that she was good entirely. And I think you might've been right, because I did see her hesitate."

"She still tried to kill me, or at least got Beevil to do it," Dustin muttered.

"So I guess that means a ninja's instinct really is their most valuable weapon," Shane commented. "Which means that I think we should go with Hunter on this one."

"And, what if he tries to kill us?" Blake wondered.

Hunter rolled his eyes. "You're not going to drop the killing thing are you? We'll worry about it if and when he does it. Otherwise, leave it alone."

The Navy Thunder Ranger mumbled something incoherent, then said, "Fine. Let's go." He started up the Ninja Ops stairs, Hunter, Shane, and Cam soon following him.

Dustin and Tori exchanged a glance, shrugged, and left as well.

Sensei watched them leave. When Tori's steps could no longer be heard, he turned around and hopped around on the supercomputer's keyboard, bringing up an image of the area outside Ninja Ops. He wanted to see what would happen.

* * *

Kutar stayed in the shadows of the trees as he heard footsteps on the water. He knew who it was. Of course, he didn't know if they came armed or not, so he played it safe. Once he found out whether they would be allies or continue to be enemies, he would make a move. 

"We know you're here Kutar."

The Chronitian king tried to see as best he could around the tree, and saw all six of them, unmorphed. They were standing at the edge of the lake, all skeptical. However, they didn't appear to be on the attack. So, trusting his instincts, he slowly came out from behind the tree to face them.

"I see your mentor has informed you well in the politics of other planets," he replied.

"No, just you," a dark-haired, Asian man said.

"That much of a threat am I?" Kutar laughed a little. "Well, I've come here to make a proposition. Right now, we both have the same enemy, and…" He looked right at the one he knew to be Hunter. "I have access to something you want."

* * *

End Note: Don't kill me for the cliffhanger! 

Chronitian translations:  
_anyak-edimerts_ - jackass  
_retap_ - father (for those of you who took Latin, you'll recognize that this one spelled backwards is "pater," or Latin and/or Greek for "father")


End file.
